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HONORARY  MEMBER 
PRESIDENT     1896 

OF 
THE  AMERICAN    SOCIETY  OF  MECHANIC 


THE  AMERICAN  SOCIETY  OF 
MECHANICAL  ENGINEERS 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY 
OF    JOHN     FRITZ 

HONORARY  MEMBER  AND  PAST  PRESIDENT 


NEW  YORK 
1912 


COPYRIGHT,  1911 

BY 
JOHN  FRITZ 


LIBRARY 


V*.i...     >y    ~t 


Special  Edition  Issued  by  The  American  Society  of  Mechanical 
Engineers  through  the  courtesy  of  the  Author  and  concurrent  with 
the  edition  published  by  John  Wiley  and  Sons. 


DEDICATION 


book  is  dedicated  to  the  loyal,  able,  brave  and  fearless 
men  who  so  faithfully  stood  by  me  throughout  my  career. 
To  them  all,  in  whatever  capacity  employed,  I  am  ever  grateful, 
and  I  should  like  to  call  each  one  by  name  and  to  thank  them 
personally,  from  the  depth  of  my  heart,  for  their  most  valuable 
assistance  and  for  the  uniform  kindness  they  have  ever  shown  me. 
They  deserve  the  plaudits  of  the  country  for  the  innumerable 
blessings  they  have  conferred  in  performing  the  great  amount  of 
mental  and  physical  labor  necessary  in  accomplishing  the  marvelous 
changes  and  wonderful  results  that  have  marked  the  development 
of  the  iron  and  steel  business  from  my  first  connection  with  it  some 
seventy  years  ago. 


r~T  «,-•}.  a'  ^  i'  -x  /  > 

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PREFACE 


IN  this  short  preface  I  wish  to  tell  my  friends  who 
read  this  book  how  it  was  that  I  came  to  write  it.  My 
undertaking  it  came  about  wholly  through  the  persistent 
urging  of  a  number  of  old  friends,  who  insisted  on  my 
writing  out  for  them,  in  my  own  words,  an  account  of 
my  life  struggles  ;  and  the  publication  of  my  autobiography 
before  my  death  is  again  owing  to  the  fact  that,  against 
my  wishes,  these  good  friends  would  not  wait  for  it,  but 
insisted  on  having  it  now.  And  so  I  have  jotted  down 
the  record  of  my  life,  and  it  is  given  to  you  as  I  wrote  it. 
You  must  not  expect  fine  language  nor  eloquent  periods, 
but  only  the  honest  record  of  the  hard-working  life  of  one 
who  loves  his  country  and  his  fellow  men,  and  who  has 
tried  to  serve  both. 


vfi 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

FOREWORDS  PROM  OLD  FRIENDS xi 

CHAPTER 

I.    FAMILY  HISTORY i 

II.    EARLY  FARM  LIFE 7 

III.  SCHOOL  LIFE 13 

IV.  SCHOOL  LIFE  (continued) 20 

V.    BOYHOOD  DAYS 24 

VI.    MY  APPRENTICESHIP  DAYS 32 

VII.      NORRISTOWN 40 

VIII.  NORRISTOWN  (continued) 49 

IX.  SAFE  HARBOR 59 

X.  FEVER  AND  AGUE 67 

XI.  NORRISTOWN,  SECOND  TIME 77 

XII.    KUNZIE  FURNACE 80 

XIII.  CATASAUQUA 90 

XIV.  CAMBRIA 91 

XV.  CAMBRIA  (continued) :  THE  THREE-HIGH  RAIL  MILL  . . .  108 

XVI.    CAMBRIA  (continued):  FIRE  AND  RECONSTRUCTION 116 

XVII.    CAMBRIA  (continued) :  RETROSPECT 125 

XVIII.  BETHLEHEM:  IRON  ROLLING  MILL  AND  BLAST  FURNACES  139 

XIX.    UNITED  STATES  ROLLING  MILL  AT  CHATTANOOGA 144 

XX.    PUDDLING 147 

XXI.    THE  BESSEMER  PROCESS 149 

XXII.    THE  BESSEMER  PROCESS  (continued) 159 

XXIII.    OPEN-HEARTH  PROCESS 166 

XXIV.    BLOOMING  MILL 169 

XXV.    STRUCTURAL  AND  PLATE  MILL 173 

XXVI.    FORGE  AND  ARMOR-PLATE  PLANT 177 

XXVII.    FORGE  AND  ARMOR-PLATE  PLANT  (continued) 189 

XXVIII.    CONCLUSION 204 

ix 


X  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

AFTERWORD  208 

HONORS 210 

ENGINEERING  SOCIETIES,  COLLEGE  DEGREES,  MEDALS,  COMMITTEES  215 

THE  FRITZ  ENGINEERING  LABORATORY 216 

SEVENTIETH  BIRTHDAY  ANNIVERSARY  DINNER 227 

EIGHTIETH  BIRTHDAY  ANNIVERSARY  DINNER  AND  FOUNDATION  OF 

THE  JOHN  FRITZ  MEDAL 266 

AWARDS  OF  THE  JOHN  FRITZ  MEDAL 325 

TESTIMONIAL  DINNER  BY  THE  MANUFACTURERS'  CLUB  OF  PHILA- 
DELPHIA    326 


FOREWORDS    FROM    OLD    FRIENDS. 


MANY  men  have  written  their  autobiographies,  giving 
the  details  of  lives  which  had  been  more  or  less  useful  to 
their  fellow  men,  and  covering  periods  in  the  world's 
history  during  which  events  of  greater  or  lesser  moment  had 
occurred.  It  is  my  privilege  to  write  this  foreword  to  the 
self-told  story  of  a  long  life  of  great  activity,  whose  every 
accomplishment  was  for  the  advancement  and  betterment 
of  civilization.  If  ever  the  appellation  of  "a  self-made 
man  "  was  correctly  applied,  it  is  emphatically  so  as  relat- 
ing to  John  Fritz.  Born  from  sturdy  stock,  given  very  lim- 
ited opportunities  for  education,  but  blessed  with  splendid 
physical  health  and  strength,  and  endowed  with  a  clear  and 
logical  mind  and  inherent  mechanical  genius,  he  resolutely 
set  himself  the  task  of  mastering  every  problem  which 
might  confront  him  in  life's  struggle,  and  persistently  sought 
the  problems.  This  necessitated  a  life  of  hard  labor  and 
frugality,  in  which  was  developed  a  character  of  great 
strength,  but  also  one  of  equal  integrity,  remarkable 
simplicity,  and  broad  sympathies.  So  active  a  life  of 
necessity  encountered  frequent  opposition  and  many  con- 
tests, defeats  as  well  as  triumphs,  but  always  commanding 
respect  and  generally  receiving  affection.  Respect  and 
affection  for  Mr.  Fritz  are  not  confined  to  his  own  country 
or  continent.  He  has  been  honored  by  many  of  the  Scien- 
tific Societies  of  the  whole  world,  and  has  had  many  and 
remarkable  evidences  of  personal  esteem  and  affection 
from  his  fellow  men,  while  to  the  whole  Iron  and  Steel 

zi 


Xii  FOREWORD 

fraternity,  as  well  as  to  his  neighbors,  he  is,  in  his  old  age, 
respectfully  and  affectionately  known  as  "  Uncle  John." 

Mr.  Fritz's  more  than  89  years  have  covered  the  most 
eventful  era  in  the  world's  history;  in  fact,  it  is  hard  to 
realize  that  any  one  life  could  have  witnessed  so  many  and 
such  wonderful  achievements;  — placing  on  a  practical  basis 
the  construction  and  operation  of  steam  and  electric  rail- 
ways; the  invention  of  the  electric  telegraph;  that  of  the 
daguerreotype,  and  the  art  of  photography;  the  laying  and 
operation  of  ocean  cables;  electric  lighting;  the  telephone; 
the  phonograph;  and  the  other  wonderful  electrical  en- 
gineering developments  —  perhaps  the  most  startling  of 
all  —  wireless  telegraphy;  the  making  actual  of  submarine 
navigation;  and  the  until  lately  unbelievable  science  of 
aviation.  In  Mr.  Fritz's  own  particular  field  of  engineering, 
he  witnessed  the  discovery,  and  participated  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  epoch-making  Bessemer  process,  followed  by 
the  Acid  and  Basic  Open-hearth,  and  now  the  electric 
furnace;  and  besides  those,  the  other  tremendous  develop- 
ments in  the  Iron  and  Steel  arts,  in  which  he  was  an  active 
factor. 

It  is  fortunate  that  the  incidents  of  such  a  life  should 
be  recorded  in  Mr.  Fritz's  own  way  and  in  his  own  words; 
and  speaking  for  those  of  us  who  are  left  of  the  many  who 
were  associated  with  him  and  therefore  who  knew  and  loved 
him,  I  thank  him  for  this  his  latest  work. 

ROBERT  W.  HUNT. 


IN  July,  1 86 1,  the  clouds  of  war  hung  dark  over  the 
placid  valley  of  the  Brandywine.  News  had  come  that 
Bull  Run  had  been  fought  and  lost.  In  a  plain  farmhouse, 
a  depressed  wife  went  about  her  daily  tasks,  when  a  slender 


FOREWORD  xiii 

lad  entered.  "Mother,"  he  said,  "I  have  enlisted;  I 
am  going  to  the  war."  She  only  turned  and  rejoined: 
"  Well,  my  boy,  never  let  me  hear  that  they  shot  you  in 
the  back." 

That  woman  was  the  mother  of  John  Fritz;  the  boy,  his 
youngest  brother.  If  his  mother  never  had  occasion  to  use 
this  Spartan  encouragement  to  her  eldest  son,  we  know  that 
her  training  of  him  had  been  on  the  same  lines,  and  we  also 
know  that  never  did  any  of  the  Fritz  children,  boys  or 
girls,  ever  turn  their  backs  on  any  duty,  any  hardship,  any 
danger.  But,  side  by  side,  with  this  stern  teaching  there 
acted  upon  them  the  gentle,  though  not  less  powerful, 
influence  of  the  father,  the  German  farmer,  whose  very 
glance,  though  never  hand  or  voice  was  raised  against  his 
children,  was  more  feared  by  them  than  the  mother's,  we 
may  be  sure,  always  unmistakable  corrections.  This  man, 
George  Fritz,  John  Fritz's  father,  was  one  of  Nature's 
noblemen;  a  born  mechanical  genius,  a  clear  thinker,  with 
a  gentle  heart  and  keen  sense  of  humor,  all  of  which 
qualities  he  handed  down  to  his  son. 

The  humble  home  built  by  these  people  was  the  university 
of  John  Fritz.  His  post-graduate  course  was  taken  in  the 
battle  of  a  long  and  varied  life,  covering,  we  may  say,  the 
entire  period  of  modern  development.  In  these  two  schools 
he  acquired  those  qualities  which  characterized  the  parents 
and  helped  to  create  his  own  commanding  personality. 
There  he  learned,  and  learned  well,  the  great  lessons  of 
humanity  and  life.  Let  us  rejoice  that  there  were  no 
universities  and  hardly  any  schools  in  reach  of  Chester 
County,  Pennsylvania.  If  there  had  been,  America  would 
never  have  had  a  John  Fritz.  He  would,  no  doubt,  have 
become  a  great  personality,  but  one  moulded  in  the  common 
form,  and  of  the  usual  type;  he  would  have  been  one  of 
several  others.  Now,  he  has  been  unique,  alone  in  his  class. 


xiv  FOREWORD 

Untaught,  as  far  as  printed  education  went,  he  entered 
life  at  the  bottom,  but  with  a  vision  always  above  and 
beyond  the  surrounding  horizon,  whilst  ever  holding  close 
to  the  practical  possibilities  of  the  world  in  which  he  lived. 
He  advanced,  led,  always  led.  Often  opposed  by  the 
timid  and  commonplace  with  whom  he  sometimes  had  to 
work,  he  generally  achieved  that  which  he  set  out  to  do, 
because  it  was  practical,  logical  and  needed. 

John  Fritz  started  out  with  the  best  of  educations  — 
the  example  of  his  parents.  His  clear  head,  his  correct 
judgment,  his  justice,  his  tact  and  his  kindly  heart  did  the 
rest.  And  thus  it  is  that  he  has  now  given  to  us  who  know 
him  and  to  the  several  generations  of  men  with  whom  he, 
during  the  better  part  of  a  century,  has  come  into  contact, 
glimpses  of  that  education,  of  the  life  work  built  on  it  and 
of  the  man  it  made.  And  it  is  this  personality,  made  up  of 
strength,  cautious  daring,  resource  and  judgment,  but  also 
of  gentleness  and  honor,  that  his  nearest  friends,  his 
brothers  in  profession,  his  aides,  his  workmen,  and  all  the 
many  who  must  remember  him  with  gratitude  as  a  helping 
friend  in  need,  a  sound  and  sympathetic  adviser,  a  chari- 
table judge,  do,  and  always  will,  honor  and  admire. 

It  is  to  John  Fritz,  "  The  Man,"  that  the  technical  world 
and  his  countrymen  give  homage  in  his  old  age  when  his 
life  work  is  done,  even  more  than  to  the  great  engineer  who 
built  the  guns  and  armor  which  won  the  battle  at  Santiago. 

This  is  the  fact  which  I,  by  these  lines,  wish  to  point  out 
and  emphasize  to  those  who  will  now  read  his  own  simply 
told  story  of  his  life  work.  And  it  is  again  this  personality 
of  John  Fritz,  seen  between  the  lines  of  his  book,  which 
will  always  give  this  autobiography  a  special  value  to  the 
host  of  American  engineers  amongst  whom  he  now  stands 
honored  and  revered  as  the  only  surviving  representative 
of  that  advance  guard  of  engineers  who,  small  in  number, 


FOREWORD  XV 

strong  in  resource,  perseverance  and  genius,  laid  the  founda- 
tion for  and  started  the  building  of  the  greatest  industrial 
empire  the  world  has  ever  known. 

AXEL  SAHLIN. 


WHEN  I  was  working  for  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Works  under 
the  direction  of  John  Fritz,  he  was  ready  at  all  times  to 
consider  suggestions  from  anyone.  It  is  a  great  faculty 
to  be  able  judiciously  to  discuss  matters  with  those  about 
us,  and  gather  the  consensus  of  opinion.  This  consensus 
of  opinion  is  generally  nearer  right  than  any  one  man's 
judgment,  and  I  believe  that  Mr.  Fritz's  ability  and  willing- 
ness to  do  this  probably  contributed  much  to  his  great 
success. 

He  concerned  himself  not  about  money  but  about  results 
that  should  be  advantageous  to  his  associates  and  the 
human  race.  If  he  had  in  hand  a  man  or  a  machine  they 
had  to  produce  results.  He  could  see  the  essence  of  a 
subject  as  none  other  could,  and  he  could  apply  a  remedy 
for  a  difficulty  as  none  other  could. 

The  material  engineering  works  of  Mr.  Fritz  are  ample  to 
give  him  lasting  fame,  but  the  successful  construction  of 
the  Bethlehem  Iron  and  Steel  Plants  and  his  other  previous 
great  undertakings  are  far  from  being  his  most  useful  and 
enduring  work. 

The  best  work,  in  my  judgment,  done  by  him  was  the 
training  of  the  young  men  who  worked  under  him.  They 
have  gone  out  to  carry  and  spread  broadcast  his  creed  of 
initiative  industrial  progress,  and  through  them  Mr.  Fritz's 
work  is  still  going  on  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Rio 
Grande  in  all  sorts  of  industrial  enterprises  based  on  his 
engineering  methods. 

D.  A.  TOMPKINS. 


Xvi  FOREWORD 

"WHAT  man  is  there  among  us  who  coming  in  contact 
with  a  great  soul  is  not  made  the  wiser,  better  and  happier 
thereby.  A  drop  of  water  on  the  petal  of  a  lotus  glitters 
with  the  lustre  of  a  pearl." 

And  who  among  us  that  have  had  the  honor  and  privi- 
lege to  know  the  author  of  this  book,  to  know  Uncle 
John  Fritz,  but  will  say  we  have  come  in  contact  with  a 
great,  a  noble  soul. 

Who  of  us  will  ever  forget  the  cordial  greetings,  the 
delightful  talks  he  has  given  us,  the  cheery  smile  on  his 
face  as  he  has  told  us  of  his  life  work;  aye  such  men  as 
Uncle  John  "help  to  move  this  dark  world  nearer  the 
sun."  They  fail  not  to  pour  good  oil  on  the  axis  of  this 
old  round  earth  that  she  may  run  smoother  on  her  bear- 
ings as  we  journey  around  the  sun.  It  is  such  men  that 

"  Give  us  the  glad  good  morning 
As  we  pass  along  the  way, 
And  leave  the  morning's  glory 
Over  the  livelong  day." 

The  world  knows  Uncle  John  Fritz  as  the  great  engineer, 
his  loved  ones  and  we  his  friends  of  ye  olden  time  know 
him  as  a  man  among  men. 

JOHN  ALFRED  BRASHEAR. 


THE    AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF 
JOHN    FRITZ. 


CHAPTER  I. 
FAMILY  HISTORY. 

I  WAS  born  August  21,  1822,  in  Londonderry  Township, 
Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  the  oldest  child  of 
a  family  of  seven  children,  three  brothers  and  four  sisters. 

I  was  born  of  parents  of  exemplary  character,  my  father 
being  a  man  of  high  moral  standards;  he  fully  impressed 
upon  my  mind  the  importance  of  absolute  integrity,  energy, 
and  economy.  My  mother  was  a  true  Christian  woman, 
and  early  taught  me  to  read  and  revere  that  book  of  books, 
the  Holy  Bible,  and  to  trust  in  the  Supreme  Being;  and 
that  to  respect  and  obey  His  laws  was  a  duty  which  man- 
kind should  not  disregard.  At  this  distant  day,  to  my 
mind,  the  moral  and  religious  training  received  from  my 
parents  was  the  most  important  training  I  could  possibly 
have  received;  and  I  have  ever  thought  the  highest  honor 
I  could  pay  to  their  memory  was  to  endeavor  to  follow  their 
noble  example. 

My  father,  George  Fritz,  was  born  July  26,  1792,  in 
Cassel,  Hesse  Cassel,  Germany,  and  came  to  this  country, 
landing  in  Philadelphia  August  26,  1802,  with  his  father 
and  mother,  Johannes  and  Gertrude  Meinhard  Fritzius, 
and  their  children,  Conrad,  Margaret,  John,  and  Henry 
(Elizabeth,  Catherine,  and  Mary  were  born  in  this  country). 


2   '  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

They  were  accompanied  to  this  country  by  my  grand-father's 
brother,  J.  George  Fritzius,  and  his  wife,  Eva  Catherine. 
My  great-uncle  and  his  wife  immediately  went  West  and 
were  never  afterwards  heard  of. 

My  mother,  Mary  Meharg,  was  born  June  18,  1799,  in 
Londonderry,  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  William  and  Hannah  Connor  Meharg.  My 
Grandfather  Meharg  emigrated  from  Tobermore,  London- 
derry County,  Ireland,  about  1787.  He  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  Presbyterian  stock. 

My  father  and  mother  were  married  July  26,  1821,  at 
Hepzibah  Church,  East  Fallowfield,  Chester  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, by  the  Rev.  Jethro  Johnson,  a  famous  Baptist 
minister  of  that  day.  They  had  seven  children.  John, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  married  Ellen  W.  Maxwell  and 
had  one  daughter,  Gertrude,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven 
years;  Hannah  Ann  married  B.  Frank  Stroud;  Catherine 
married  Isaac  E.  Chandler;  George  married  Ella  Maclay; 
Sarah  married  Robert  Russell;  Elizabeth  married  Hiram  E. 
Russell;  and  William  married  Eleanora  Paddington,  of 
Baltimore,  Maryland. 

My  brother  George  was  born  December  15,  1828,  in 
Chester  County.  He  early  displayed  a  proclivity  for 
mechanical  pursuits,  a  talent  which  he  certainly  inherited 
from  his  father.  When  about  the  age  of  eighteen  he  was 
apprenticed  to  one  of  the  leading  master  builders  of  Phila- 
delphia, to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  became  a  first- 
class  workman,  but  I  could  see  no  great  outlook  for  him  in 
that  line  of  business  and  believing  he  had  much  mechanical 
ability,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  get  him,  if  possible,  into  the 
mechanical  engineering  line.  I  was  at  that  time  in  the 
employ  of  Messrs.  Moore  &  Hooven  of  the  Norristown 
Iron  Works,  Norristown,  Pennsylvania.  Fortunately  for 
both  George  and  myself,  there  was  quite  a  good  machine 


(3) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  5 

shop  in  Norristown,  and  a  highly  esteemed  friend  of  mine, 
Mr.  Archibald  Johnston,  was  financially  interested  in  and 
also  the  manager  of  the  shop  and  was  an  able  mechanical 
engineer.  I  told  him  about  my  brother  George  being  a 
good  carpenter  and  that  I  wanted  to  get  him  in  the  engineer- 
ing line,  and  said  to  him,  "  Sometime  when  you  are  in  want 
of  a  man  to  do  the  coarser  work  in  the  shop,  I  should  be 
pleased  if  you  would  give  him  a  trial."  He  said,  "  Send  for 
him  at  once;  I  am  in  want  at  this  time  of  just  such  a  man." 
This  I  did,  and  inside  of  three  months  George  was  on  the 
best  work  in  the  shop  and  soon  proved  to  be  a  first-class 
pattern  maker,  an  important  person  about  a  manufacturing 
plant.  When  I  went  to  Catasauqua  I  took  him  with  me 
and  also  to  Cambria.  There  I  found  him  apt  in  any  place 
I  put  him  and  he  soon  became  useful  to  me  and  learned  the 
business  rapidly.  When  I  left  Cambria  in  1860  he  suc- 
ceeded me  as  Engineer  and  Superintendent  of  the  Cambria 
Works  and  remained  in  that  position  until  his  death. 

When  the  War  broke  out  he  was  connected  with  a  volun- 
teer company  and  at  once  offered  his  services.  The  com- 
pany was  accepted  and  he  was  in  his  place  ready  to  fulfill 
his  duty.  The  Cambria  Company  requested  him  to  remain 
at  home  and  upon  his  refusing  to  desert  his  comrades  in 
arms,  Mr.  Morrell,  the  General  Manager,  appealed  to  the 
men,  showing  them  that  if  George  went  with  them  the 
rolling  mill  would  be  compelled  to  stop.  It  was  only  at 
the  earnest  request  of  his  fellow  soldiers  that  he  reluctantly 
consented  to  remain  at  home.  Later  when  drafted,  al- 
though exempted  through  the  loss  of  part  of  all  the  ringers 
of  his  right  hand,  he  refused  to  claim  his  right  under  the  law 
and  contributed  to  the  support  of  the  Government  by 
paying  the  exemption  money.  Not  satisfied  with  this,  he 
subsequently  furnished  a  representative  recruit.  While 
making  no  profession  of  religion,  he  contributed  largely  to 


6  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  building  of  the  Methodist  church  at  Johnstown,  as  well 
as  looking  after  its  erection.    He  died  August  5,  1873. 

William  was  born  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania, 
February  26,  1841.  When  fourteen  years  old  he  followed 
us  to  Johnstown  and  apprenticed  himself  to  the  Cambria 
Iron  Company  as  a  machinist.  He  remained  in  this 
capacity  until  1860,  when  he  went  to  Bethlehem.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  War,  he  responded  to  his  country's  first 
call  and  enlisted  in  the  three  months'  service  in  the  First 
Pennsylvania  Infantry,  and  after  his  first  term  had  expired 
he  enlisted  in  a  cavalry  regiment  and  served  for  three  years. 
While  thus  engaged,  he  was  seriously  wounded  and  was 
granted  a  furlough.  When  the  Government  erected  its 
rail  mill  at  Chattanooga,  according  to  plans  I  prepared  at 
the  Government's  request,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  it, 
and  ran  it  successfully  until  the  War  was  over.  He  then 
accepted  the  superintendency  of  the  Abbott  Iron  Company 
of  Baltimore  and  remained  there  several  years.  Later  he 
entered  into  partnership  with  Horace  Brooke  in  the  blast 
furnace  business  in  Baltimore,  Maryland.  About  five  years 
before  his  death  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  work  on  account 
of  failing  health.  He  died  March  20,  1884. 


CHAPTER  II. 
EARLY  FARM  LIFE. 

Ax  this  distant  day  I  look  back  to  my  early  boyhood, 
when  I  lived  on  the  farm,  as  the  most  pleasant  period  of  my 
life.  In  the  summer  we  waded  in  the  brook,  caught  butter- 
flies, and,  as  we  grew  older,  had  the  more  exciting  sport  of 
fighting  and  destroying  the  bumblebee  and  hornets'  nests, 
which  required  both  skill  and  daring,  and  we  often  came 
out  of  the  encounter  somewhat  wiser,  but  many  times  not 
so  good-looking. 

The  most  innocent,  interesting,  and  instructive  pleasure 
that  we,  as  youths,  so  much  enjoyed  was  the  time  we  spent 
with  the  young  stock  in  the  fields,  —  the  colts,  calves,  and 
lambs;  and  it  would,  to  the  people  of  to-day,  who  know 
nothing  of  farm  life,  be  a  great  surprise  to  know  how  tame 
and  companionable  they  can  be  taught  to  be,  —  the  colts, 
of  course,  first,  as  the  noble  horse  is  always  in  the  lead;  they 
could  be  taught  to  rear  up,  and  lie  down.  We  would  twist 
straw  into  ropes  and  make  what  we  called  straw  harness 
and  dress  them  up  in  the  most  fantastic  style,  and  march 
them  around  for  hours  at  a  time,  they  seeming  to  enjoy 
themselves  as  much  as  we  did. 

The  calves  would  follow  us  all  around  and  were  very 
tame  and  gentle,  but  seemingly  had  some  object  in  view 
and  generally  wanted  something  to  eat.  They  were  not 
susceptible  of  being  taught  like  the  colt,  but  at  times  were 
quite  playful. 

The  lamb  became  very  domestic  and  playful,  and  there 
was  one  trick  that  he  would  readily  learn  and  that  was  to 

7 


8  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

butt;  unfortunately,  however,  he  would  never  forget  it  and 
often  became  troublesome  and  at  times  vicious,  frequently 
practicing  his  early  learned  tricks  on  people,  much  to  their 
annoyance  and  sometimes  to  their  detriment,  which  caused 
timid  people  to  give  him  a  wide  berth.  At  times  some  of 
his  butting  was  amusing  to  spectators,  but  annoying  to 
his  victims. 

Children  on  a  farm  also  get  a  correct  knowledge  of  all 
domestic  animals,  such  as  learning  how  to  take  care  of  the 
noble  horse  —  to  handle,  harness,  and  drive  him.  They 
also  learn  about  the  forests,  — the  names  of  the  various  trees, 
and  their  peculiar  properties,  the  character  of  the  wood, 
and  the  various  purposes  it  is  used  for.  They  have  an 
excellent  opportunity  to  study  botany,  learning  the  names 
of  flowers  and  plants  and  how  to  cultivate  them.  They 
visit  the  orchard,  and  in  season  pluck  the  ripe  and  delicious 
fruit  from  the  trees  with  their  own  little  hands  and  eat  it 
with  a  relish  that  they  will  never  experience  in  after  life. 
They  hear  the  birds  sing  and  admire  their  beautiful  plum- 
age, and  learn  their  manner  of  building  their  nests  and 
rearing  their  young.  They  learn  a  useful  and  instructive 
lesson  from  the  industrious  ant  and  the  busy  bee.  The 
study  of  the  habits  of  the  bee  is  an  exceedingly  interesting 
one,  not  only  to  naturalists,  but  to  all  people  who  take  an 
interest  in  the  habits  of  the  more  intelligent  insects,  amongst 
which  the  bee  ranks  high.  They  visit  the  sweet  little 
brook  and  see  the  small  fish  darting  through  the  water; 
they  wade  and  dabble  in  the  stream,  which  is  as  clear  and 
fine  as  their  own  dear  little  hearts.  Where  can  children 
have  such  an  opportunity  to  commune  with  nature  as  on 
the  well-regulated  farm?  Moreover,  the  information  gained 
in  early  youth  is  frequently  retained  in  the  mind,  when  that 
which  is  gained  in  after  years  is  forgotten. 

Between  the  ages  of  six  and  seven  years  my  farm  labors 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  9 

commenced  by  dropping  corn,  in  grains  to  the  hill.  When 
the  corn  was  about  three  inches  high,  I  rode  the  horse, 
attached  to  the  harrow,  to  guide  him  between  the  rows. 
Next  the  corn  had  to  be  kept  clear  of  weeds,  which  had  to 
be  pulled  up  and  hoed  out.  By  this  time  the  hay  harvest 
was  on  and  mowing  commenced,  and  it  was  my  duty  to 
carry  drink  to  the  harvest  men  in  the  field.  This  consisted 
of  fine  old  rye  whiskey  and  fine  water  fresh  from  the  spring 
near  by. 

About  the  time  the  hay  was  secured  the  wheat  was  quite 
ready  for  the  sickle,  and  in  addition  to  seeing  that  the  men 
had  all  they  wanted  to  drink  and  water  quite  fresh  from  the 
spring,  I  gathered  sheaves  between  drinks,  —  which  were 
quite  frequent.  Shortly  after  the  wheat  was  housed  the 
oats  were  ready  for  the  cradle  if  erect;  if  down,  the  scythe 
was  frequently  used;  the  oats  harvest  is  generally  easier 
and  more  quickly  over  than  the  hay,  wheat,  or  rye.  My 
duty  continued  the  same  until  the  crop  was  all  in  the  barn, 
and  as  I  now  remember  I  was  not  at  all  sorry  the  harvest 
was  over. 

I  now  supposed  that  my  duty  as  grog  boss  and  gathering 
sheaves  was  ended,  and  I  began  wondering  what  would  turn 
up  next,  but  did  not  have  long  to  wait.  The  next  morning 
after  the  completing  of  the  harvest,  I  was  called  as  usual 
at  about  four  o'clock.  I  walked  down  two  pair  of  stairs, 
as  I  slept  next  to  the  shingles,  rubbing  my  eyes,  feeling 
somewhat  tired,  but  more  sleepy.  I  went  out  and  took 
down  the  tin  wash  basin  which  was  hanging  by  the  side  of 
the  house,  filled  it  with  water,  and  gave  my  face,  neck,  and 
eyes  a  good  washing,  which  refreshed  me  very  much.  About 
this  time  my  father  came  up  from  the  barn  and  said, 
"  Good  morning,  John.  This  promises  to  be  a  fine  day. 
We  will  raise  the  potatoes;  the  ground  being  dry  no  soil  will 
adhere  to  them,  and  they  will  go  in  the  cellar  clean  and  dry, 


10  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

which  is  important,  they  being  much  more  likely  to  keep 
well  than  if  put  away  wet  and  dirty.  After  you  have 
driven  up  the  cows,  come  to  the  field." 

It  was  the  custom  on  the  farm  to  go  to  work  at  sunrise, 
the  women  doing  the  milking,  properly  putting  the  milk  in 
place,  and  feeding  the  young  stock  and  chickens  before 
breakfast,  which  was  taken  at  seven  o'clock.  After  break- 
fast we  again  went  to  the  field,  all  having  been  previously 
arranged  for  the  plow.  It  was  started  and  a  furrow  was 
made  as  close  to  the  potatoes  as  possible  without  injury  to 
them.  Then  spades  or  shovels  were  used  to  turn  them  out. 
There  was  no  use  for  old  rye  in  digging  potatoes,  conse- 
quently not  so  much  water  was  used.  My  duties  were, 
therefore,  changed  to  that  of  picking  potatoes,  a  task  which 
did  not  to  me  savor  much  of  a  promotion,  as  it  required 
neither  technical  nor  practical  knowledge;  but  being  a 
private,  it  was  my  duty  to  obey  commands  and  to  faithfully 
do  as  ordered.  My  father  being  a  particular  man  and  at 
times  exacting  (at  least  as  a  boy  I  often  thought  so),  every- 
thing had  to  be  done  in  the  best  possible  and  most  careful 
manner,  consequently  the  potatoes  were  put  in  a  basket 
and  gently  placed  in  the  cart  or  wagon  without  a  bruise  or 
an  abrasion  of  even  the  outer  skin.  ;j 

I  mention  this  fact  as  an  illustration  not  only  of  how  I 
was  taught  to  pick  potatoes,  but  also  of  how  I  was  taught 
to  do  everything,  for  all  I  was  called  on  to  do  had  to  be  done 
in  a  like  manner,  to  the  best  of  my  ability.  And  I  unhesi- 
tatingly say  that  much  of  the  success  that  I  may  have 
attained  in  life  is  largely  due  to  the  careful  and  exacting 
training  received  in  early  youth  from  a  kind  and  exacting 
father, 

It  was  early  in  the  hot  month  of  August  and  a  hot  day. 
In  picking  potatoes  you  can  neither  stand  erect,  sit,  nor  lie 
down,  but  must  be  in  a  stooping  position,  and  as  the  hot 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  II 

sun  was  shining  on  my  back  I  fully  made  up'my  mind  that 
I  would  rather  be  grog  boss  and  gather  sheaves  in  the  har- 
vest field  than  pick  potatoes.  But  it  was  a  duty  and  had 
to  be  done,  so  I  stuck  to  it,  saying  nothing,  but  my  mind 
was  active.  I  was  next  sandwiched  into  school  for  a  short 
time,  until  the  time  to  get  ready  for  the  fall  seeding  was  on. 

Being  now  in  my  eighth  year  and  large  for  my  age,  and 
healthy,  I  was  able  to  do  a  considerable  amount  of  work  in 
the  way  of  getting  the  ground  ready  for  the  plow.  I 
assisted  in  loading  and  spreading  the  manure  on  the  field, 
which  my  father  told  me  was  very  healthy  work  and  not  as 
hard  as  carrying  sheaves  and  drink  to  the  harvest  men,  so 
I  was  happy.  By  the  time  seeding  was  completed  the  corn 
was  ready  to  cut  and  stack  and  in  a  short  time  was  ready 
to  husk.  When  this  work  was  finished  and  the  corn  and 
fodder  had  been  taken  care  of,  the  time  for  threshing  out 
and  winnowing  the  grain  had  come;  this  work  was  at  once 
commenced  and  soon  completed.  Both  grain  and  straw 
were  put  in  their  proper  places. 

It  was  now  November  and  next  in  order  was  to  prepare 
for  the  winter.  As  coal  at  that  time  was  not  used,  at  least 
not  in  the  farming  districts,  wood  had  to  be  cut  and  so 
placed  that  it  could  be  easily  secured  during  the  winter. 
The  cattle  of  all  kinds  were  housed  and  made  comfortable, 
the  farming  implements  looked  up  and  put  in  their  proper 
places,  under  cover.  The  leather  had  come  from  the 
tanners  and  the  shoemaker  was  in  the  house,  as  was  the 
custom  at  that  time,  ready  to  make  each  member  of  the 
family  a  pair  of  shoes,  which  were  calculated  to  last  a  year. 
Our  dear  mother  furnished  all  the  family  with  a  good  supply 
of  woolen  stockings,  much  better  and  more  serviceable  than 
can  be  gotten  to-day,  knit  out  of  yarn,  that  was  spun  off 
the  distaff,  by  her  own  hands,  from  wool  sheared  from  the 
sheep  that  were  raised  under  her  fostering  care.  Society 


12  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

was  then  more  economical  and  simpler  in  habits  than  it  is 
to-day,  it  being  the  custom  for  people  to  raise  wool  and  flax, 
to  spin,  knit,  and  weave,  and  largely  make  their  own  apparel. 
The  people  were  industrious,  contented,  and  happy,  and  full 
of  sympathy  for  the  poor  and  unfortunate. 


CHAPTER  III. 
SCHOOL  LIFE. 

MY  father,  having  attained  celebrity  in  his  trade  as  mill- 
wright and  machinist,  and  being  pressed  by  people  who 
were  greatly  in  want  of  his  services,  decided  to  devote  his 
time  wholly  to  his  calling.  Doubtless  thinking  I  was 
rather  fresh  to  become  a  full-fledged  farmer,  he  concluded 
to  put  the  farm,  or  rather  lot,  in  some  other  hands  to  work 
it  for  a  time. 

I  was  then  over  eight  years  old  and  as  I  had  had  but  little 
schooling  my  parents  were  both  anxious  to  get  where  I 
could  have  the  benefit  of  six  months'  schooling  in  a  year. 
This  was  a  number  of  years  before  the  time  of  free  or  public 
schools,  and  the  only  opportunity  of  securing  an  education 
was  limited  to  three  months  in  the  summer  and  the  same 
in  the  winter.  It  was  before  pedagogy  had  become  a 
science,  and  the  teachers  were  not  so  well  qualified  for  the 
discharge  of  their  duties  as  they  are  at  the  present  time. 

We  moved  to  a  place  much  nearer  the  school  than  where 
we  had  formerly  lived,  so  near  that  I  could  attend  in  all 
kinds  of  weather.  For  three  months  of  the  time  in  summer 
I  was  very  fortunate  in  attending  a  school  kept  by  a  lady, 
Miss  Rebecca  Clark,  who  was  educated  at  the  Friends' 
School,  at  West  Town,  Chester  County.  She  was  a  born 
teacher,  and  I  am  sure  that  I  learned  more  in  the  three 
months  that  I  attended  school  with  her,  as  teacher,  than  in 
three  times  three  months  with  any  other  teacher  I  was  ever 
with.  She  was  a  lovely  woman  with  a  magnetic  and 
commanding  presence,  kind-hearted,  and  gentle,  yet  pos- 

13 


14  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

sessing  a  moral  firmness,  which  she  skillfully  applied, 
always  reproving  with  kindness  and  in  the  most  gentle 
manner,  endeavoring  at  all  times  to  command  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  the  children,  which  is  so  essential  for  the 
success  of  both  teacher  and  pupil;  this  she  accomplished 
in  an  eminent  degree,  not  only  with  the  children  of  the 
school,  but  also  with  all  who  knew  her. 

The  winter  school  was  some  two  and  one-half  miles  from 
where  we  lived;  the  snows  were  much  deeper  than  those  we 
have  now,  and  the  roads  were  generally  so  badly  drifted 
that  it  was  scarcely  possible  for  one  of  my  age  to  attend 
regularly.  The  next  summer  Miss  Clark  failed  to  get  a 
sufficient  number  of  scholars  to  warrant  her  enough  com- 
pensation for  her  labor.  This  was  owing  to  the  establish- 
ment of  a  school  at  the  other  end  of  the  district,  which  I 
was  compelled  to  attend,  in  consequence  of  Miss  Clark's 
failure  to  secure  a  school.  I  was  disappointed,  and,  as  the 
teacher  was  incompetent,  I  learned  but  little.  Probably 
it  was  much  my  own  fault.  Miss  Clark  was  an  ideal 
teacher,  greatly  loved  and  respected  by  all  her  scholars. 
As  I  was  compelled  to  go  to  an  indifferent  teacher  who  was 
not  liked,  satisfactory  results  were  not  likely  to  be  fully 
realized.  As  one  of  the  objects  my  father  had  for  leaving 
the  farm  (that  of  giving  me  an  opportunity  for  an  educa- 
tion) was  in  a  measure  a  failure,  as  his  business  required 
him  to  be  from  home  so  much  of  his  time  that  he  grew  weary 
of  it,  and  as  he  was  fond  of  his  family  and  all  were  happy 
when  he  was  with  them,  it  was  agreed  all  round  that  it 
would  be  best  for  him  to  go  back  to  the  farm. 

I  was  now  nearly  ten  years  of  age,  stout  and  healthy,  and 
was  able  to  do  much  of  the  farm  work.  The  farm  or  lot  we 
had  formerly  lived  on  was  small,  and  as  quite  a  family  of 
children  were  growing  up,  both  father  and  mother  thought 
it  very  desirable  to  have  more  land.  Consequently,  they 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  15 

sold  the  farm  and  bought  a  larger  one,  of  about  fifty  acres, 
about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  a  school.  This  enabled 
the  girls  to  attend  the  summer  quarter  and  the  boys  the 
winter. 

It  was  here  in  an  old  country  log  house  that  I  took  my 
scholastic  degrees.  The  building  was  under  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  Society  of  Friends,  generally  known  at  that  time 
as  Quakers.  They  held  service  in  their  meeting  house 
twice  a  week,  first-day  and  fifth-day  meetings  as  they  were 
called,  which  were  attended  regularly  whether  in  seedtime 
or  harvest.  They  also  had  what  were  called  quarterly 
meetings,  which  took  place  every  three  months,  and  which 
it  was  the  custom  for  all  the  school,  when  in  session,  to 
attend;  all  walked  over  to  the  meeting  in  a  body  under  the 
eye  of  the  teacher,  and  remained  until  it  was  over.  I  have 
been  informed  that  I  heard  Elias  Hicks  speak,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  it  is  so,  but  I  cannot  remember  him.  He  was  an 
able  man,  and  a  great  leader  of  the  Friends,  and  it  was 
his  views  on  the  Divinity  of  Christ  that  caused  the  separa- 
tion of  the  Society  into  two  parts,  now  known  as  Hicksite 
and  Orthodox.  The  Friends  were  a  most  excellent  people, 
good  neighbors,  charitable,  peace-loving,  and  peace-making; 
in  early  life  I  was  much  amongst  them,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that  I  profited  by  association  with  them. 

In  order  that  the  present  generation  may  fully  compre- 
hend the  difficulty  of  securing  an  education  when  I  was  a 
boy,  some  eighty  odd  years  ago,  it  will  be  quite  in  place 
to  state,  very  briefly,  the  condition  of  the  schools,  as  they 
existed  at  that  date.  It  was  a  number  of  years  prior  to 
the  time  when  the  great  commoner,  Thaddeus  Stevens, 
made  his  eloquent  and  farseeing  appeal  to  our  State  legis- 
lature, sixty  odd  years  since,  in  favor  of  our  common  school 
system.  The  predictions  he  made  in  that  memorable 
address  when  the  bill  was  under  discussion  have  been  fully 


16  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

verified.  The  benefits  the  youth  have  derived  and  are 
deriving  from  the  free  school  system,  viewed  alone  from  a 
social  and  economic  standpoint,  are  incalculable,  and  the 
impetus  public  schools  have  given  to  agriculture,  manu- 
facture, and  commerce  is  of  great  importance  to  both  state 
and  nation. 

Well,  we  were  on  the  new  farm  and  were  pleased  with  the 
change  and  with  the  new  farm  also.  My  father  was  from 
home  but  little  the  first  summer,  leaving  only  for  some 
important  work  and  then  only  for  a  few  days  at  a  time. 
My  duties  were  practically  the  same  as  those  of  my  two 
former  years  on  the  farm.  As  the  farm  was  large,  the  work 
was  somewhat  harder  and  the  harvest  season  longer.  When 
the  seeding  was  done,  the  corn  all  in,  and  all  fall  work 
completed,  I  was  next  gotten  in  order  for  my  three  months' 
schooling,  which  generally  commenced  in  the  latter  part 
of  November  or  early  in  December.  I  was  then  over  ten 
years  of  age,  and  had  only  about  one  and  a  half  miles  to 
walk.  I  attended  school  every  day  it  was  in  session,  up  to 
the  latter  part  of  February,  or  the  first  of  March,  when  the 
winter  term  closed. 

The  teacher  was  a  Mr.  Baker,  who  was  considered  a  very 
competent  person.  He  had  succeeded  in  obtaining  sub- 
scriptions for  about  forty  scholars,  which  was  quite  a  good 
number  for  that  time.  He  was  a  stern,  resolute  person, 
qualifications  that  many  people  at  that  day  thought  essen- 
tial, especially  for  the  winter  term,  when  only  boys  attended. 
As  a  great  many  of  the  boys  were  from  fourteen  to  twenty 
years  of  age,  people  were  of  the  opinion  that  to  insure 
proper  control  it  was  necessary  for  the  teacher  to  know  how 
to  handle  the  rod.  In  this  line  Mr.  Baker  was  an  expert, 
ever  looking  for  an  excuse  to  use  it.  An  opportunity  one 
day  occurred  in  the  most  unexpected  manner.  The  older 
boys  took  delight  in  plaguing  the  kids,  as  they  called  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  17 

younger  boys,  by  breaking  up  the  plays,  whatever  they 
were,  and  annoying  them  in  any  way  they  could.  One  day 
when  there  was  snow,  the  younger  boys,  I  being  one  of 
them,  were  passing  by  the  end  of  the  Friends'  meeting 
house.  I  spied  a  knothole  in  the  shutter  of  the  gable-end 
window,  and  having  a  snowball  in  my  hand  I  inadvertently 
threw  it  to  see  how  near  I  could  come  to  striking  the  hole. 
Of  course  all  the  rest,  boylike,  must  see  how  near  they  could 
come  to  striking  the  mark.  About  the  time  we  were  getting 
our  best  work  in,  we  received  such  a  volley  of  snowballs 
from  the  older  boys  that  we  were  compelled  to  make  a 
hasty  retreat,  much  to  our  chagrin.  But  we  did  not  have  to 
wait  long  for  revenge  and  it  came  in  a  most  unexpected 
manner.  The  older  boys  at  once  took  the  cue  to  see  if 
they  could  put  a  ball  through  the  hole,  but  they  threw  such 
a  volley  against  the  time-worn  shutter  that  it  went  to 
pieces.  About  this  time  we  younger  boys  saw  our  teacher 
coming  up  the  road.  We  stepped  out  of  the  way,  but  where 
we  could  have  an  eye  on  him.  He  halted  a  short  distance 
from  the  older  boys  and  took  in  the  situation.  As  he  was 
in  the  rear  of  them,  they  did  not  see  him  until  he  was 
quite  close.  Then,  of  course,  they  began  snowballing  each 
other.  He  passed  them  seemingly  without  taking  notice 
of  what  had  happened,  but  knowing  the  pleasure  he  seemed 
to  take  in  the  use  of  the  rod,  and  that  he  was  always  on  the 
lookout  for  an  opportunity  to  use  it,  we  could  see  danger 
ahead.  But,  as  the  larger  boys  had  done  the  damage,  we 
consoled  ourselves  with  the  thought  that  they  would  get 
the  worst  of  it,  and  we  would  have  the  satisfaction  of  see- 
ing them  severely  chastised  for  the  rude  treatment  we  ever 
received  from  them. 

We  did  not  have  long  to  wait  to  see  what  was  going  to 
happen.  As  soon  as  school  was  called  to  order  and  all  had 
taken  their  seats,  Mr.  Baker  called  the  older  boys  whom 


l8  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

he  had  seen  snowballing  the  shutter  and  ordered  them  to 
stand  in  line.  He  then  took  down  one  of  his  choice  rods, 
of  which  he  kept  a  number  on  a  couple  of  pins  in  the  logs 
back  of  his  desk,  stepped  to  the  front,  and  addressed  them. 
I  do  not  remember  the  words,  but  their  substance  is  clear 
in  my  mind,  and  knowing  him  well  as  a  man  and  neighbor, 
and  being  familiar  with  his  disposition  and  his  manner  of 
talking  to  the  boys,  I  think  I  can  give  quite  a  clear  idea 
of  what  he  said,  but  probably  more  certainly  of  what  he 
thought.  He  at  all  times  greatly  magnified  any  offense 
the  boys  were  so  unfortunate  as  to  commit.  He  said, 
"  You  seem  to  be  possessed  of  a  malignant  spirit  and  prone 
to  do  evil.  The  defacement  of  property  used  as  a  place 
of  worship  by  a  God-fearing  and  unassuming  people,  to 
whom  you  are  indebted  for  the  use  of  this  building  for  a 
schoolhouse  (in  which  I  yet  hope  to  teach  you  all  to  see  the 
evil  of  your  ways),  is  not  only  a  great  outrage  against  the 
Society  of  Friends,  but  also  against  the  community,  for 
which  offense  you  must  be  punished.  While  I  greatly 
regret  that  you  have  committed  this  outrage,  it  gives  me 
some  pleasure  to  administer  to  you  the  chastisement 
you  so  richly  deserve."  He  began  at  one  end  of  the  line, 
and  gave  every  boy  a  severe  whipping,  sending  each 
one  to  his  seat  as  he  completed  the  punishment.  He 
then  returned  to  his  desk  with  a  benignant  smile  on  his 
face,  as  though  he  had  done  his  duty,  but  somewhat 
exhausted. 

Being  looked  on  as  rather  a  leader  of  the  younger  boys,  I 
must  confess  this  was  an  anxious  period  for  me.  As  I  was 
not  sure  that  the  teacher  had  not  seen  the  younger  boys  in 
the  same  act  and  that  some  questions  might  not  be  asked 
who  commenced  it,  I  quite  naturally  supposed  that  I  might 
be  called  on  to  answer  that  question.  Had  I  been  asked  I 
should  have  promptly  said,  as  we  had  entire  confidence 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  19 

in  each  other,  that  I  was  the  one,  and  that  would  have  been 
all  I  knew  about  it.  There  was  no  fear  of  squealing  among 
the  boys  so  long  as  no  disgraceful  or  wicked  act  was  com- 
mitted. There  were,  however,  no  questions  asked,  much 
to  the  relief  of  the  younger  boys,  myself  included. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
SCHOOL  LIFE.  —  Continued. 

IN  looking  back  at  this  distant  period  to  my  schoolboy 
days  and  taking  all  the  conditions  into  consideration,  I 
think  that  next  to  Miss  Clark,  Mr.  Baker  was  the  best 
teacher  I  ever  had.  Yet  their  mode  of  teaching  and  manner 
of  keeping  order  were  diametrically  the  opposite,  the  former 
accomplishing  the  purpose  by  kindness  and  simple  per- 
suasion, the  latter  with  absolute  despotism.  But  in  fairness 
to  both  teachers  it  is  proper  to  say  that  the  make-up  of  the 
schools  was  widely  different.  As  Miss  Clark  taught  in 
the  summer,  her  scholars  were  principally  girls  and  the 
younger  boys,  but  few  of  them  being  over  ten  or  twelve 
years  of  age.  As  Mr.  Baker  taught  in  the  winter,  his 
school  was  entirely  of  boys,  from  eleven  upwards  to  seven- 
teen, and  frequently  twenty  years  of  age.  The  winter 
schools  were  the  only  chance  the  farmer  boys,  who  were  old 
enough  and  able  to  work,  had  to  get  an  education.  This 
condition  of  affairs  (primitive  as  the  schools  were)  neces- 
sarily caused  a  large  attendance.  The  last  three  winters 
that  I  attended  school,  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  fourteen,  and 
fifteen,  the  attendance  numbered  daily  over  forty  scholars, 
all  boys,  and  of  all  ages  from  eleven  to  eighteen,  and  some 
up  to  twenty-one.  The  reader,  if  he  knows  anything  of 
boys  of  the  ages  referred  to,  can  well  imagine  the  difficulties 
the  teacher  had  to  contend  with  in  keeping  proper  order, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  time  necessary  for  the  proper  instruc- 
tion of  the  students. 

Fortunately  for  the  teacher,  but  very  unfortunately  for 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP  JOHN  FRITZ  21 

the  scholars,  the  studies  were  few  and  simple  in  character. 
However,  had  they  been  otherwise,  a  very  large  majority 
of  the  boys  could  not  have  given  them  proper  attention, 
as  after  school  they  had  long  distances  to  walk,  the  stock  on 
the  farm  to  take  care  of,  the  wood  for  the  night  to  put  in 
the  box,  then  supper.  The  principal  light  used  in  the  rural 
districts  at  that  time  was  the  tin  dish  open  lard  lamp,  and 
the  tallow  dip,  with  frequently  the  spitting  wick.  In  the 
morning  the  duties  of  the  night  previous  had  to  be  repeated; 
after  this  was  done,  then  the  long  walk  to  school  in  all  kinds 
of  weather.  When  I  look  back  from  this  distant  period  to 
my  boyhood  days  and  compare  the  economic  conditions 
of  the  school  system  of  that  time  with  those  of  the  present, 
with  the  beautiful  and  comfortable  schoolhouses  (I  might, 
comparatively  speaking,  say  palaces),  located  at  most  con- 
venient distances,  divided  into  rooms  suitable  for  elemen- 
tary teaching,  and  to  some  extent  technical,  under  the 
charge  of  teachers  graduated  in  the  science  of  pedagogy,  all 
under  the  watchful  eye  of  the  county  superintendents,  who 
are,  generally  speaking,  persons  well  educated  and  intelli- 
gent, comparing  favorably  in  that  respect  with  most  of  our 
learned  professors,  and  when  I  consider  the  high  schools 
where  the  graduates  who  receive  their  diplomas'  !are  well 
fitted  to  accept  responsible  positions  or  to  study  almost  any 
one  of  the  learned  professions,  I  feel  that  the  youth  of 
to-day  should  be  most  profoundly  grateful  for  the  almost 
marvelous  opportunity  they  have  for  securing,  in  our  free 
schools,  an  education  that  will  fit  them  for  almost  any 
position  in  life. 

When  I  was  going  to  school,  some  of  the  well-to-do 
farmers  would  send  their  sons  to  an  academy  and  their 
daughters  to  what  was  called  a  Young  Ladies'  Seminary, 
but  neither  of  these  schools  could  be  compared  with  our 
present  system  of  high  schools.  The  Friends,  or  Quakers 


22  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

as  they  are  now  generally  known,  would  send  their  children, 
for  a  year  or  so,  to  their  own  school  at  West  Town,  when 
they  were  say  about  fourteen  to  sixteen  years  of  age,  but 
the  poor  farmer  with  a  mortgage  on  his  farm  (as  was  gen- 
erally the  case),  and  with  a  large  family  of  children  to  raise, 
and  interest  on  a  mortgage  to  be  paid,  had  but  little  chance 
to  give  any  of  his  sons  an  education  beyond  what  they 
could  get  at  the  winter  subscription  schools. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  get  along  well  with  the  teachers. 
I  do  not  remember  getting  a  whipping  at  school  or  even  a 
severe  rebuke.  I  do  not  claim  that  I  was  any  better  or 
freer  from  pranks  than  other  boys,  but  in  school  I  was  a 
student.  When  out,  I  was  a  boy  amongst  the  others.  At 
that  time  the  schoolmaster  was  a  perfect  despot,  making 
his  own  rules  and  enforcing  them  absolutely.  Should  his 
oral  commands  not  be  obeyed  at  once,  the  rod  was  applied 
until  the  command  was  complied  with,  and  there  was  no 
appeal.  Should  the  victims  complain  to  their  parents,  the 
reply  was,  "  Behave  yourself  and  do  as  the  master  tells  you, 
and  you  won't  get  thrashed."  This  was  cold  comfort, 
consequently  but  few  complaints  were  made  at  home.  In 
the  winter  schools,  the  course  of  instruction  was  extremely 
simple.  Comly's  spelling  book,  with  definitions,  was 
studied;  in  reading,  the  introductions  and  sequel  of  the 
English  reader,  and  the  Columbian  Orator  were  the  books 
used;  history,  geography,  and  grammar  were  not  taught. 
In  mathematics,  Pike  and  Bennett's  Arithmetic  completed 
the  studies,  except  in  the  case  of  a  very  few  pupils,  whose 
parents  lived  near  the  school  and  were  able  to  let  their 
children  attend  in  the  summer;  boys  who  had  mastered 
Pike  and  Bennett  struggled  with  mensuration  for  the 
purpose  of  becoming  surveyors,  a  title  that  commanded 
some  respect  at  that  time,  and  to  see  a  surveyor  with  his 
instruments  and  chain  measuring  the  farms  and  roads, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  23 

caused  much  excitement  with  the  boys  of  that  day,  and 
should  any  of  the  boys  be  so  fortunate  as  to  help  carry  the 
chain,  they  forthwith  would  become  surveyors.  The  in- 
struction received  in  writing  was,  if  possible,  even  more 
meager  than  that  in  the  other  subjects.  Learning  to 
properly  hold  the  quill-pen,  making  letters,  and  imitating 
headlines  written  by  the  teacher,  was  the  limit.  Such  a 
duty  as  writing  an  essay  or  composing  a  sentence  we  were 
never  called  on  to  do. 


CHAPTER  V. 
BOYHOOD  DAYS. 

WE  had  now  lived  on  the  new  place  one  year,  and  as  I 
was  one  year  older  and  as  my  father  was  more  from  home, 
I  had  much  more  and  somewhat  harder  work  to  do  than 
the  previous  year.  I  had  this  year  to  learn  to  do  all  the 
important  work  on  the  farm,  such  as  plow,  harrow,  mow 
grass,  and  reap  grain,  —  all  hard  work.  There  were  no 
mowing  or  reaping  machines  at  that  time;  all  grass  and 
grain  had  to  be  cut  with  the  scythe  or  sickle.  All  this  I 
had  to  learn  and  do  something  at.  My  father  was  doing 
more  at  his  trade  this  year  than  the  previous  year,  and  this 
not  only  put  more  work  on  me,  but  more  responsibility. 
I  had  a  slight  offset  against  this,  however,  as  I  occasionally 
had  to  take  my  father's  chest  of  tools  to  where  he  was  going 
to  work.  This  I  enjoyed  very  much,  as  I  got  to  see  the 
country,  and  besides  it  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  see  the 
different  mills,  —  flour  mills,  cotton  and  woolen  mills,  for 
all  of  which  my  father  did  work.  This  was  a  rare  treat  for 
me,  deepening  and  broadening  the  foundation  for  the  love  of 
machinery  that  I  already  possessed,  and  gave  me  the  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  and  becoming  familiar  with  the  various 
operations  and  the  ingenious  and  delicate  machinery  that 
was  used  in  the  different  processes  of  manufacture. 

The  spinning  and  weaving  of  cotton  goods  was  the  kind 
of  manufacture  which  I  had  the  best  opportunity  to  see, 
as  there  were  two  mills  but  little  over  a  mile  from  where 
we  lived,  and  my  father  did  all  the  difficult  repairs  for  both 
of  them.  This  necessitated  my  making  frequent  visits 

24 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  25 

to  the  mills,  and  when  I  could  possibly  spare  the  time  I 
would  spend  it  in  the  manufacturing  department.  It 
commenced  at  what  was  at  that  time  called  the  picker,  or 
beater,  which  prepared  the  cotton  for  the  carding  machine, 
which  properly  arranged  the  fibers  of  the  cotton.  The 
throstle  and  mule  did  the  spinning  and  put  the  yarn  in 
shape  for  the  loom.  All  of  the  machinery  interested  me 
greatly,  but  the  shuttle  flying  or  shooting  from  side  to  side 
was  a  mystery  that  I  was  unable  to  solve.  But  of  all  the 
machines  in  the  factory,  the  mule  was  to  me  the  most 
interesting  and  instructive.  But  why  it  was  called  a  mule 
I^was  at  a  loss  to  know.  But  however  degrading  its 
name  may  have  been,  lit  was  the  one  machine  that  com- 
pletely captivated  me.  To  see  a  machine  some  thirty  feet 
or  more  in  length,  with  its  many  spindles,  spinning  yarn, 
with  one-half  of  the  machine  fixed  and  the  other  part  moving 
back  and  forth  through  a  space  of  some  eight  feet  or  more, 
spuming  the  thread  as  it  ran  out,  and  winding  it  on  spools 
or  bobbins  on  its  return,  making  it  ready  for  the  loom,  was 
to  me  most  marvelous.  Being  young,  with  mind  free, 
clear,  and  active,  and  not  yet  crowded,  the  impression  was 
the  more  lasting,  and  although  eighty  years  have  passed 
over  my  head  since  I  first  witnessed  that  almost  bewildering 
sight,  and  I  have  changed  from  a  tow-headed  boy  to  an  old 
gray-headed  man,  with  a  mind  filled  with  events  that  have 
taken  place  during  my  long,  eventful,  and  active  life,  the 
feeling  of  astonishment,  and  I  may  say  of  fear,  that  I 
experienced  when  the  door  was  opened  and  I  was,  for  the 
first  time,  ushered  into  the  noisiest  place  I  had  ever  been  in, 
is  almost  as  clear  in  my  memory  as  it  was  on  that  first  day. 
The  machine,  or  mule  as  it  was  called,  was  placed  at  the 
end  of  the  building,  and  so  close  to  the  wall  that  when 
the  traveling  part  of  the  machine  was  out  the  space  was  so 
narrow  that  it  looked  dangerous.  When  I  first  entered, 


26  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  man  in  charge,  called  the  mule  spinner,  was  placing 
his  knee  against  the  pad  to  start  or  push  the  moving  part 
back,  as  I  supposed,  to  its  place  (they  are  now  driven  by 
power),  but  it  immediately  started  back  again,  coming 
directly  toward  where  I  was  standing.  Not  knowing  the 
exact  place  it  was  going  to  stop,  I  rather  instinctively 
moved  sideways  toward  the  door  to  await  results.  After 
seeing  it  moving  in  and  out  several  times,  always  stopping 
at  the  same  place,  my  fears  were,  in  a  great  measure, 
quieted,  but  the  noise  was  at  first  something  terrific.  After 
a  few  visits,  however,  I  got  quite  used  to  it,  and  lost  but  few 
opportunities  to  get  in  to  watch  the  machines  at  work. 

I  must  now  come  back  to  the  farm  again.  The  next  two 
years  on  the  new  farm  differed  but  little  from  the  previous 
year,  except  that  as  I  grew  older  I  had  to  do  all  kinds  of 
farm  work,  and  I  was  quite  proud  of  my  attainments. 
My  father  being  a  very  particular  man,  everything  I  was 
called  on  to  do  had  to  be  done  in  the  best  manner  possible. 
The  furrow  must  be  kept  straight  and  of  even  depth;  if  the 
plow  struck  a  stone  in  the  bottom,  that  was  too  large  to  be 
taken  out  quickly,  the  place  was  marked  and  the  stone 
was  either  taken  out  or  buried  deeper  so  that  the  plow  would 
not  touch  it.  This  had  to  be  done  before  the  ground  was 
harrowed  and  finally  prepared  for  seeding.  This  training 
was  a  good  thing  for  me,  as  it  taught  me  to  do  everything 
well,  an  important  lesson  for  me  in  after  life,  as  principles 
instilled  in  the  mind  in  youth  are  seldom  forgotten. 

The  duties  and  routine  of  farm  life  were  so  similar  to 
those  of  the  previous  year  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  allude 
to  them.  The  next  two  winters  of  school  also  were  practi- 
cally the  same  as  far  as  routine  was  concerned.  Of  course 
some  progress  was  made  in  learning;  but  no  new  books  or 
new  studies  were  introduced. 

I  shall  now  very  briefly  describe  the  last  two  years  of  my 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  27 

farm  life  as  one;  as  they  were  so  similar  and  the  routine  of 
the  farm  changed  but  little,  it  is  useless  to  go  over  it  fully. 
I  was  at  that  time  in  my  fourteenth  year  and  made  a  full 
hand  at  any  work  6n  the  farm.  In  the  harvest  field  I  held 
the  post  of  honor,  pitching  on  on  the  near  side  in  the  field, 
and  pitching  off  in  the  barn,  the  two  hardest  positions  to  fill 
in  harvesting.  During  these  two  years  we  burned  lime 
to  put  on  the  farm.  The  limestone  quarry  was  about  two 
and  a  half  miles  distant  from  the  kiln  in  which  it  was  burned, 
and  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  do  the  hauling;  this  was  done  in  the 
spring,  after  seeding  and  before  harvest,  or  after  harvest 
and  before  fall  seeding  time.  The  hours  for  all  workmen  at 
that  time  were  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  It  was  my  duty  to 
be  at  the  quarry,  have  the  wagon  loaded  and  on  the  scales 
waiting  for  the  workmen  to  take  the  weight  of  the  load. 
This  required  early  rising  in  order  to  get  the  team  in  proper 
shape  and  in  the  quarry  at  the  time  named.  But  this  I 
did  not  mind,  as  all  farmers  at  that  time  were  early  risers. 
I  was  anxious  to  have  some  knowledge  of  everything  that 
was  necessary  to  be  done  on  the  farm,  and  the  burning  of 
lime  was  about  the  only  part  of  the  business  that  I  had  no 
experience  in.  Hence,  it  was  a  source  of  pleasure,  as  at  all 
times  I  tried  to  get  all  the  information  possible  about 
everything  I  had  to  do  with.  This  practically  completed 
my  farm  education;  as  it  was  before  the  introduction  of 
agricultural  machinery,  all  work  was  done  by  hand.  It  was 
a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  be  able  to  say  that  I  had 
done  all  kinds  of  work  on  the  farm,  and  to  feel  fully  con- 
scious that  I  had  not  only  done  it,  but  had  done  it  well. 

Having  given  a  very  brief  account  of  my  last  two  years  of 
farm  life,  I  will  next  give  briefly  something  of  my  last  two 
winters  of  school  life. 

First,  we  had  a  new  teacher,  by  the  name  of  Elisha 
Jefferis,  the  son  of  a  well-to-do  Squire,  who  lived  close  to 


28  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  schoolhouse,  and  whose  sons  were  so  fortunate  as  to 
have  had  the  advantage  of  both  winter  and  summer  schools; 
besides  this,  our  teacher  had  attended  an  academy  for  two 
terms,  and  was  quite  a  well-educated  man  for  that  time; 
he  seemed  to  be  a  good  teacher,  was  very  generally  liked 
by  the  scholars,  had  good  order,  and  used  the  rod  but  little 
in  comparison  with  the  previous  teacher.  There  was  little 
or  no  change  in  the  books  or  in  the  system  of  teaching, 
especially  during  the  first  winter.  The  boys  generally 
seemed  to  be  getting  along  quite  well  with  their  lessons  and 
were  pleased  with  the  new  teacher.  In  spelling  and  defini- 
tions I  was  doing  so  well,  standing  at  the  head  of  the  class 
in  which  I  was  the  youngest,  a  large  majority  of  the  class 
being  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  years  of  age,  that  I  became 
ashamed  of  standing  at  the  head,  or  rather  sympathized 
with  the  others,  and  asked  the  teacher  to  let  me  stand  at 
the  foot  of  the  class  as  long  as  I  missed  no  word  in  either 
spelling  or  definition,  with  the  understanding  that  if  I 
missed  any  he  should  place  me  in  the  class,  where,  in 
accordance  with  the  rules,  I  properly  belonged.  He  agreed 
to  do  this,  and  it  was  so  rarely  that  I  failed  that  he  let  me 
remain  at  the  foot  permanently,  and  it  seemed  to  have  a 
good  effect  on  the  older  boys. 

In  arithmetic  I  got  along  quite  well  and  I  was  very  fond 
of  it;  my  father  told  me  that  it  would  be  very  useful  to  me 
in  the  future,  consequently  I  did  my  best.  But  five  days 
in  the  week  for  three  months  in  the  year,  is  too  short  a  time 
for  the  proper  study  of  Bennett's  Arithmetic.  The  teacher, 
however,  was  well  satisfied  with  the  progress  I  was  making. 
This  pleased  me  very  much,  and  my  parents  also,  and  their 
satisfaction  added  much  to  my  previous  stock  of  pleasure. 
But  this  was  not  all  that  was  in  store  for  me.  Being  handy 
with  the  ball,  and  lively  on  foot,  I  was  asked  by  the  older 
boys  to  take  a  place  with  them  in  their  ball  game,  some- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP  JOHN  FRITZ  29 

times  called  long  town  ball,  the  predecessor  of  modern  base- 
ball. In  the  simplicity  of  my  boyhood  days  I  thought  this 
a  very  great  honor,  and  imagined  that  it  was  a  great  step 
on  the  road  to  manhood,  the  goal  of  boys'  ambition.  This 
was  the  second  of  the  two  winters  and  the  last  school  that 
I  attended. 

Being  now  between  the  ages  of  fifteen  and  sixteen,  I  was 
fully  impressed  with  the  importance  of  a  good  education, 
and  did  my  best  at  this  session  to  get  it,  and  not  without 
some  good  results.  At  the  close  of  the  session,  the  teacher 
commended  me  for  what  I  had  accomplished  in  the  way  of 
mathematics,  and  said  that  the  next  winter  I  should  take 
up  the  subject  of  mensuration,  as  it  would  be  a  useful 
branch  of  education  in  after  life.  That  subject  was  attain- 
able at  the  schools  as  they  then  existed,  but,  most  unfortu- 
nately for  me,  it  was  the  last  schooling  I  received,  except 
the  one  month  of  schooling  provided  in  my  articles  of 
apprenticeship.  But  it  was  not  only  in  mathematics  that 
I  was  successful,  as  I  ranked  second  in  the  ball  game,  as  it 
was  played  at  that  time.  Judging  by  the  interest  some 
colleges  of  to-day  take  in  baseball  and  football  games, 
success  in  them  is  more  important  than  in  mathematics  and 
all  other  studies. 

I  have  given  a  brief  account  of  the  last  two  years  of  farm 
life  and  the  last  two  years  of  my  happy  schoolboy  days.  I 
said  good-by  to  my  loved  companions  and  the  playmates 
of  my  early  youth,  a  large  majority  of  whom  I  have  never 
since  seen,  and  many  never  heard  of.  Having  no  class  or 
graduating  days,  and  no  Alumni  Associations,  to  hold  or 
call  us  together,  except  by  mere  accident,  we  lost  sight  of 
each  other  for  all  time.  I  often  think,  when  I  hear  and 
read  of  the  meetings  of  the  Alumni  Associations  of  the  many 
colleges  and  schools,  how  thankful  the  graduates  should 
be  for  the  opportunity  they  now  have  for  securing  an  educa- 


30  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

tion  compared  with  that  of  seventy  or  eighty  years  ago. 
Now  there  are  free  schools  for  all,  with  their  well-educated 
and  trained  teachers,  under  the  eye  of  able,  practical,  and 
scientific  Superintendents,  with  rooms  to  suit  the  various 
classes  and  teachers  for  each  of  them,  and  with  the  studies 
scientifically  arranged.  An  education  can  be  obtained  at 
the  public  schools  to-day  superior  to  that  of  the  country 
academy,  as  it  existed  before  the  days  of  free  schools.  At 
that  time  the  academy  filled  a  gap  between  the  day 
or  subscription  school  and  the  college,  much  the  same  as 
the  preparatory  school  does  to-day  between  the  public 
school  and  the  college,  for  those  who  are  so  fortunate  as 
to  have  an  opportunity  to  secure  a  collegiate  course  of 
education. 

As  I  now  had  but  one  more  summer  to  spend  on  the  farm, 
and  as  I  have  previously  referred  to  the  various  duties  as 
being  largely  routine,  I  will  make  no  further  allusion  to 
them,  except  to  say  that  I  occupied  the  same  leading  posi- 
tion that  I  had  been  occupying  for  years  previous,  until  the 
harvest  was  all  properly  stored  and  the  fall  grain  in  the 
ground.  This  ended  my  early  days  on  the  farm.  Receiv- 
ing my  father's  most  favorable  congratulations  on  what  I 
had  done  and  on  the  manner  in  which  it  had  been  done, 
and  hoping  that  whatever  should  fall  to  my  lot  in  the  future 
might  be  equally  satisfactory  to  my  employer,  the  time  of 
my  departure  had  come.  Notwithstanding  the  long  hours 
and  hard  work  that  had  to  be  done  on  a  farm  (as  before 
stated,  it  was  prior  to  the  introduction  of  agricultural 
machinery,  and  everything  had  to  be  done  by  hand),  yet 
the  life  on  a  farm  is  so  natural  and  so  free  and  interesting, 
and  above  all  so  independent,  that  when  my  time  came  to 
leave  it,  and  to  go  into  a  new  field  of  business,  with  all  to  be 
learned,  I  must  confess  that  the  separation  caused  me  much 
regret;  and  to  leave  a  plain  and  happy  home,  looked  after 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  31 

by  kind  parents,  surrounded  by  affectionate  sisters  and 
brothers,  to  go  for  all  time  out  into  the  world  to  meet  no 
one  but  entire  strangers,  was  a  source  of  very  great  anxiety, 
and  it  was  difficult  for  me  to  fully  realize  that  such  an  event 
was  about  to  take  place. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
MY  APPRENTICESHIP  DAYS. 

EARLY  in  October,  1838,  I  went  to  Parkesburg,  Chester 
County,  Pennsylvania,  as  an  apprentice,  to  learn  the  trades 
of  blacksmithing  and  country  machine  work.  These  con- 
sisted of  doing  such  work  as  was  required  by  the  farmers  and 
small  manufacturers  of  the  neighborhood,  such  as  the  shoe- 
ing of  horses,  ironing  wagons,  carts,  and  carriages,  and  all 
work  required  of  a  smith;  and  in  the  machine  line,  repairs 
wanted  by  the  farmers  on  their  threshing  machines  and 
other  machinery  used  about  the  farms,  and  also  both  the 
smith  and  machine  work  for  repairs  and  renewals  required 
by  the  cotton,  woolen,  and  other  manufacturers,  such  as 
grist  and  saw  mills,  blast  furnaces,  and  forge  plants. 

At  the  shop  where  I  worked  there  were  four  smith  fires, 
four  anvils,  and  for  that  time  a  fair  supply  of  small  smith 
tools  and  stocks,  taps,  and  dies  for  cutting  screws.  There 
were  also  two  small  lathes  for  turning  iron,  and  a  small  lathe 
for  doing  pattern  work;  at  times  the  latter  was  used  for 
turning  and  finishing  light  brass  work,  all  on  wooden  shears 
or  beds.  There  was  also  a  very  good  makeshift  of  a  drill- 
press  bolted  up  against  a  ten-inch  wooden  post.  All  of  these 
tools  were  of  the  crudest  character,  but  capable  of  doing, 
in  a  very  elementary  way,  such  machine  work  as  was  re- 
quired in  the  neighborhood.  In  addition  there  was  a  set 
of  rolls  for  bending  boiler  plate,  shears  and  punch,  and  a 
kit  of  small  boiler  maker's  tools,  which  put  the  shop  in  a 
position  to  do  boiler  making  in  a  small  way. 

The  power  to  drive  these  tools  was  a  six-horse-power 

32 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  33 

engine  and  boiler;  both  had,  practically  speaking,  been 
built  in  the  blacksmith  shop  by  my  new  master.  It  was  a 
rude  machine,  but  worked  quite  well,  and  I  don't  believe 
there  is  to-day  one  mechanic  out  of  one  thousand  that  could, 
under  the  same  conditions,  build  such  an  engine.  He  would 
have  to  make  his  own  drawings  and  patterns,  make  his  own 
forgings,  and  fit  the  work  all  up,  without  tools,  except 
makeshifts.  To-day  as  many  men  work  on  an  engine  as 
there  are  parts  to  it,  and  each  man  has  a  special  machine, 
specially  designed  to  do  his  work  on.  There  are  few  all- 
round  mechanics  to-day  such  as  there  were  sixty  years  ago; 
even  good  all-round  machinists,  valuable  as  they  are  to-day, 
are  getting  scarcer  daily,  and  the  present  shop  practice  is 
better  calculated  to  make  machines  out  of  men  than  to 
make  good  all-round  mechanics. 

After  pumping  the  bellows  and  handling  the  sledge  for 
some  days,  I  was  set  to  holding  the  dolly  against  the  rivet 
heads  on  the  inside  of  a  thirty-inch  boiler  shell,  with  two 
awkward  fellows  on  the  outside  doing  the  riveting,  fre- 
quently missing  the  rivet,  striking  the  sheet,  and  making 
such  a  noise  as  made  my  ears  buzz  like  a  nest  of  bumblebees. 
The  diameter  of  the  shell  was  so  small  that  the  shell  had  to 
be  placed  in  a  vertical  position  to  rivet  the  sections  to- 
gether; after  some  four  or  five  feet  in  length  were  done 
the  rivets  had  to  be  taken  in  from  the  top.  Picking  them 
off  from  there  in  so  small  a  space  and  placing  them  in  the 
holes  was  no  very  easy  job,  and  the  heat  in  the  rivets  and 
the  mild  October  weather,  combined  with  the  noise  made 
by  the  riveting  and  the  cramped  position  I  had  to  do  the 
work  in,  made  the  job  a  very  undesirable  one. 

To  make  things  a  little  more  lively  for  me,  and  to  have  a 
little  fun  for  themselves,  the  workmen  commenced  to  play 
tricks  with  the  cubs,  as  the  apprentices  were  called  at  that 
time.  Being  quite  familiar  with  the  men  and  boys  of  the 


34  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

cotton  and  woolen  mills,  I  had  learned  something  of  the 
pranks  they  would  play  on  each  other,  and  this  placed  me 
on  my  guard.  Consequently,  I  was  not  so  easy  a  victim 
as  they  had  anticipated.  I  talked  but  little  to  them,  but 
watched  for  an  opportunity  to  turn  the  tables,  and  had  not 
long  to  wait.  One  day  one  of  the  workmen  complained  in 
my  presence  that  his  feet  were  troubling  him.  I  asked  him 
if  he  had  greased  his  shoes  and  on  receiving  an  affirmative 
answer  I  asked  how  the  grease  had  been  applied.  He 
answered,  "  On  the  outside."  I  replied,  "  Why,  you  booby, 
you  ought  to  put  the  grease  on  the  inside  of  your  shoes  and 
then  you  won't  have  any  more  trouble."  My  trick  was 
such  that  they  played  no  more  tricks  on  me,  and  I  was  at 
once  admitted  into  their  confidence. 

I  worked  on  the  boiler  —  chipping,  calking,  riveting  in 
the  heads  and  flues,  and  the  like  —  until  it  was  completed 
and  tested.  I  was  not  sorry  when  the  work  was  over;  my 
head  was  in  a  buzz  from  the  noise  in  riveting  and  my  hearing 
has  never  been  as  distinct  as  it  was  previous  to  my  boiler- 
making  experience.  In  chipping  and  calking  I  used  the 
hammer  in  the  right  hand,  consequently  the  left  hand  was 
a  subject  for  sympathy,  being  covered  with  sores.  No 
bones  were  broken  or  fingers  mashed,  however,  and  in  a 
week  or  ten  days  the  hand  was  all  right  again.  This  trouble 
was  not  unlike  some  of  the  diseases  incidental  to  children, 
rarely  occurring  the  second  time.  This  ended  my  first 
experience  in  boiler  making.  While  it  was  somewhat 
rough,  it  was  of  great  value  to  me  in  after  life,  and  will  be 
referred  to  later. 

My  next  advancement  made  me  helper  to  my  boss, 
Thomas  Hudders.  My  duty  was  to  pump  the  bellows,  use 
the  sledge,  and  do  anything  and  everything  I  was  told  to  do. 
As  his  fire  was  the  largest  and  best  equipped  one  in  the  shop, 
and  as  he  was  a  good  workman,  the  heaviest  and  most 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  35 

difficult  work  was  done  at  his  fire.  Consequently,  I  was 
in  the  best  possible  place  to  learn,  and  I  made  good  use  of 
the  opportunity.  My  boss,  having  the  business  to  look 
after,  was  necessarily  at  times  away  from  his  fire.  At  first 
he  left  me,  during  his  absence,  doing  small  and  light  work, 
such  as  could  be  done  without  a  regular  helper,  but  in  a 
short  time,  when  he  might  be  absent  from  the  fire  for  half 
a  day  or  so,  he  would  give  me  a  striker,  and  would  leave 
heavier  and  more  difficult  work  for  me  to  do.  This  was  my 
opportunity  and  I  did  my  best. 

I  remained  in  this  position  for  some  months,  when  my 
boss  was  taken  sick  and  was  unable  to  get  to  the  shop  to 
remain  long.  I,  however,  continued  at  the  fire  and  learned 
rapidly. 

I  had  now  reached  my  second  year  of  apprenticeship. 
The  boss  had  gotten  able  to  be  in  the  shop  most  of  the  day, 
but  was  unable  to  do  any  physical  work.  One  morning  he 
said  to  me,  "  There  is  a  very  heavy  wagon  that  must  be 
ironed  and  it  must  be  done  soon,  and  I  want  you  to  do  it." 
The  wagon  was  what  was  called,  at  that  time,  broad  tread, 
with  tire  five  inches  in  width,  and,  as  I  recollect,  about  three 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  The  magnitude  of  the 
job  almost  took  my  breath,  and  I  could  only  say  that  I 
didn't  know  how  to  do  it,  whereupon  my  boss  said,  "  I  will 
tell  you."  This  was  the  heaviest  job  that  up  to  that  time 
had  ever  been  done  in  that  part  of  the  country.  There 
were  no  proper  facilities  for  handling  that  class  of  work,  and 
no  rolls  of  sufficient  capacity  to  form  the  tire;  altogether  it 
was  a  most  formidable  undertaking  for  a  sick  man  and  a 
boy.  My  boss,  though  unable  to  work,  was  in  the  shop 
the  greater  part  of  the  time  and  could  give  instructions  as 
to  how  to  do  the  work.  Under  his  direction,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  two  helpers,  we  succeeded  in  doing  the  work, 
and  the  boss  said  it  was  a  very  creditable  piece  of  workman- 


36  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

ship.  I  was  very  proud  both  of  what  he  said  and  of  the 
workmanlike  manner  in  which  we  had  succeeded  in  doing 
the  job.  When  my  boss  got  well,  he  and  I  ran  the  large 
fire,  doing  the  best  and  heaviest  work. 

Primitive  as  the  shop  was,  it  was  the  only  shop  in  the 
neighborhood  that  could  do  any  heavier  class  of  work  than 
that  required  by  the  farmer,  and  in  addition  to  being  able 
to  do  the  heavier  and  a  better  class  of  forgings  it  was  the 
only  shop  of  the  kind  that  had  power  and  machine  tools. 
These  consisted  of  a  drill  press,  lathes,  shears,  and  punches 
for  boiler-plate  work,  and  taps  and  dies  for  cutting  screws. 
They  were  all  of  the  most  primitive  construction.  The 
drill-press  head  was  cast  off  a  sixteen-inch  lathe  head 
pattern  and  bolted  to  an  upright  post  about  ten  inches 
square;  the  table  consisted  of  wooden  blocks  of  various 
thicknesses  piled  upon  the  shop  floor  until  they  were  of 
the  proper  height  for  the  job  that  had  to  be  drilled.  But 
crude  as  the  tools  were  in  both  design  and  finish,  we  were 
able  to  do  a  variety  of  work  on  them,  and  the  experience 
was  useful  to  me  in  after  life,  as  it  taught  me  how  to  do 
work  in  case  of  an  emergency,  without  proper  tools.  An 
ability  to  do  this  is,  at  times,  of  the  utmost  importance, 
especially  about  an  iron  and  steel  plant,  where  delays  are 
very  costly  and  at  times  dangerous. 

Some  time  during  the  year  1839,  I  first  saw  a  shotgun, 
with  the  percussion  cap  lock.  I  at  once  saw  it  was  so  much 
superior  to  the  flint  lock  then  in  use  that  it  would  surely 
come  into  general  use.  Having  in  my  own  right  a  very 
good  gun  with  the  old-fashioned  flint  lock,  I  made  up  my 
mind  to  have  it  changed,  if  possible,  to  the  cap  lock.  As 
there  was  no  gunsmith  nearer  than  Lancaster  or  Philadel- 
phia and  as  I  had  no  money  to  pay  for  the  change,  I  de- 
cided to  make  the  change  myself,  or  at  least  to  make  the 
attempt.  The  result  was  so  satisfactory  that  every  person 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  37 

in  the  neighborhood  who  had  a  gun  and  used  it  brought  it 
to  me  to  have  it  changed.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  to 
see  a  number  of  guns  in  an  old  chest  that  I  kept  for  the 
purpose,  waiting  their  turns,  or  for  the  money  to  pay  for 
the  change,  as  there  was  no  trust  for  gunsmith  work,  it 
being  a  separate  business  from  the  smithy.  As  I  was  the 
sole  proprietor  and  as  there  was  no  other  gunsmith  nearer 
than  Lancaster  or  Philadelphia,  I  had  something  like  a 
monopoly  and  the  Attorney  General  did  not  interfere.  I 
did  all  the  work  myself  and  at  night  when  other  people  were 
having  a  good  time  or  were  sleeping.  Saturday  night  was 
my  harvest  time,  as  I  could  work  all  night.  I  would  make 
the  forgings  in  the  early  morning  and  the  noon  hour,  during 
the  week.  All  the  fitting  and  putting  together  was  done 
at  night.  The  light  was  a  tallow  dip  or  an  oil  lamp,  both 
of  them  bad  for  this  class  of  work.  All  of  the  parts  that 
were  needed  for  the  change,  so  far  as  I  was  concerned,  had 
to  be  forged.  Consequently,  it  necessitated  much  work  to 
fit  them  up  in  good  and  proper  shape,  and  a  good  and  smooth 
finish  was  essential  to  make  the  change  look  well.  The 
owner,  in  turn,  was  proud  of  the  change  and  took  pleasure 
in  showing  his  gun  to  his  friends.  This  was  to  my  advan- 
tage, as  it  brought  more  work,  and  another  important 
benefit  to  me  was  the  fact  that  it  impressed  upon  my  mind, 
as  a  boy,  the  importance  of  making  a  job,  of  whatever  kind 
it  might  be,  look  pleasing  to  the  eye,  which  I  ever  after 
endeavored  to  do.  The  work  was  also  a  valuable  experi- 
ence for  me,  as  I  learned  how  to  use  small  tools  and  do  small 
and  light  work  in  a  creditable  and  workmanlike  manner. 
During  my  apprenticeship  quite  a  variety  of  work  was  done 
in  the  shop,  the  new  and  especially  the  most  difficult  jobs 
were  generally  assigned  to  me  to  do.  All  this  was  of  much 
value  in  after  life. 
Parkesburg  was  situated  on  the  line  of  what  was  known 


38  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

at  that  time  as  the  Philadelphia  and  Columbia  Railroad, 
now  a  part  of  the  great  Pennsylvania  system.  The  shops 
for  the  repair  of  the  motive  power  were  located  there, 
consequently  I  soon  became  interested  in  the  locomotive. 
The  Superintendent  of  the  shop,  William  Hardman,  who 
was  an  Englishman  and  boarded  with  my  master,  was  quite 
a  talker,  and  at  that  time  I  was  a  good  listener,  and  showed 
him  some  attention,  while  the  other  boys  would  at  times 
be  rude  to  him.  The  consequence  was  that  he  and  I  became 
very  friendly  and  he  would  tell  me  anything  I  asked  of 
him.  This  was  before  the  link  motion  was  in  use,  and  with 
some  of  the  engines,  especially  the  Baldwin,  which  used  but 
one  eccentric  for  both  forward  and  back  motion,  skill  was 
required  to  get  the  valves  so  set  as  to  exhaust  evenly,  in 
both  motions.  The  Superintendent,  when  he  could  do  so, 
would  arrange  the  time  for  setting  the  valves  so  that  I 
could  be  with  him,  until  I  fully  understood  the  principle 
and  was  capable^  of  doing  the  work  myself.  We  became 
fast  friends,  and  the  knowledge  I  obtained  from  him  was 
of  great  value  to  me  in  after  life,  and  he  ever  has  had  a 
warm  place  in  my  memory.  He  went  South  to  take  charge 
of  the  motive  power  on  a  road,  as  I  remember,  in  Georgia, 
and  wanted  me  to  go  with  him  as  Assistant  Superintendent. 
I  was  very  anxious  to  do  this,  but  my  mother  did  not  want 
me  to  go  so  far  from  home,  as  it  seemed  to  be  at  that  time; 
consequently  I  somewhat  reluctantly  abandoned  the  idea 
of  adopting  railroading  as  a  calling. 

There  being  several  wheelwright  shops  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, I  was  induced  to  start  a  smith  shop  to  do  their  work, 
but  this  business,  after  I  had  my  mind  set  on  railroading, 
did  not  prove  congenial,  as  there  was  but  little  or  no  out- 
come in  it.  The  little  knowledge  I  had  gained  of  mechanics 
only  made  me  eager  for  more,  so  I  made  up  my  mind  to 
take  up  the  iron  business  as  a  calling.  But  here  a  more 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  39 

serious  difficulty  was  encountered,  which,  for  the  time, 
prevented  me  from  carrying  out  my  more  advanced  ideas. 
It  was  in  the  early  forties,  when  the  general  business  of  the 
country  was  in  such  a  depressed  condition  that  the  iron 
works,  small  and  primitive  as  they  were  at  that  time,  had 
little  or  nothing  to  do,  so  it  was  not  possible  for  me  to  get 
employment  in  that  line.  As  stated  before,  my  father  was 
a  millwright  by  trade.  This  caused  him  to  be  from  home 
the  greater  part  of  the  time,  consequently  the  farm  was 
necessarily  more  or  less  neglected;  so,  for  a  time,  like  Cin- 
cinnatus,  I  returned  to  the  plow  and  to  my  first  love,  the 
farm,  where  I  was  one  of  a  happy  family,  and  I  again  took 
up  the  work  I  had  left  some  five  years  previous. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
NORRISTOWN. 

IN  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1843  business,  to  some 
extent,  revived,  and  in  the  autumn  of  '44,  much  to  my 
delight,  a  party  commenced  to  build  a  mill,  in  Coatesville, 
for  rolling  bar  iron.  This  was  a  branch  of  the  business  that 
I  was  most  desirous  to  enter  into,  but  unfortunately  the 
condition  of  the  iron  business  of  the  country  did  not  war- 
rant the  proprietors  in  pushing  the  work  to  completion. 
This  was  to  me  a  grave  disappointment,  but  I  did  not 
despair,  and  at  once  I  made  up  my  mind  to  try  to  get  work 
of  any  kind  in  some  one  of  the  distant  works. 

At  that  time  the  Iron  Works,  at  Phoenixville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, were  considered  the  largest  and  best  in  the  country, 
and  I  concluded  to  see  if  I  could  get  employment  there. 
I  arrived  there  on  a  Saturday  at  about  noon  and  found  the 
mill  standing  idle.  Upon  inquiry  as  to  where  I  would  be 
most  likely  to  see  the  Superintendent,  I  was  told  some- 
where about  the  mill.  I  looked  him  up  and  told  him  I 
was  looking  for  employment.  I  received,  at  once,  an 
unfavorable  reply.  The  Superintendent  said  business  was 
very  dull  and  that  they  had  more  men  than  they  knew 
what  to  do  with.  Thus  ended  my  first  interview. 

Knowing  there  was  quite  a  large  iron  works  at  Trenton, 
I  concluded  to  go  there.  I  had  heard  that  a  new  mill  was 
being  built  at  Norristown,  and  so  I  thought  it  prudent  to 
stop  off,  as  it  was  on  the  road  to  Trenton,  and  I  might 
possibly  be  successful  in  securing  employment.  I  landed 
in  Norristown  on  the  same  afternoon  at  about  three  o'clock 

40 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  41 

and  went  direct  to  the  office,  and  there  met  both  of  the 
proprietors,  Messrs.  Moore  &  Hooven,  and  found  them  both 
to  be  courteous  gentlemen.  I  told  them  what  I  wanted. 
They  said  in  reply  they  were  sorry  they  could  not  give  me 
employment,  as  their  mill  was  not  completed;  if  it  had  been, 
they  said,  the  times  were  so  bad,  they  would  not  start  it. 
So  I  left  their  office  for  Trenton. 

In  returning  to  the  street,  I  passed  through  the  mill  and 
was  looking  at  some  of  the  machinery  when  Mr.  Moore, 
one  of  the  owners,  came  towards  me.  A  thought  passed 
through  my  mind  that  he  was  going  to  order  me  out,  but 
this  thought  was  soon  dispelled.  He  at  once  commenced 
to  talk  to  me  in  a  pleasant  manner.  Being  a  Friend  he  used 
the  plain  language,  which  caused  me  to  feel  quite  friendly 
toward  him,  as  most  of  our  neighbors  at  home  belonged  to 
the  same  persuasion  and  of  course  used  the  plain  language. 
After  a  pleasant  talk  he  asked  me  if  I  was  used  to  hard  work, 
to  which  I  frankly  answered,  "  Yes."  He  asked  where  I 
was  raised;  I  told  him,  on  a  farm,  and  what  I  had  been  doing. 
To  all  his  questions  I  gave  a  prompt  answer.  He  then  said, 
"  Young  man,  I  like  thy  looks;  will  thee  remain  here  until 
Monday?"  I  replied  that  if  there  was  any  probability  of 
my  getting  employment  I  should  be  pleased  to  do  so.  He 
then  said  their  manager  was  absent,  but  was  expected  to 
be  at  the  works  on  Monday  morning,  and  that  I  should  call 
at  about  eight  or  nine  o'clock;  so  I  remained  over.  But 
it  was  both  a  long  and  an  anxious  period,  from  Saturday 
evening  until  Monday  morning,  and  in  a  strange  place. 

At  length  the  appointed  time  came  around,  and  I  was  on 
hand  promptly.  In  a  short  time  Mr.  Moore,  accompanied 
by  a  large,  fine-looking  man,  walked  leisurely  into  the  mill. 
Near  to  where  I  was  standing  they  came  to  a  halt  and  held 
a  short  conversation  in  an  undertone.  To  me  this  was  a 
most  trying  ordeal,  as  it  was  to  determine  my  fate  as  to 


42  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

whether  I  should  get  a  job  in  Norristown  (situations  were 
not  asked  for  at  that  time)  or  should  have  to  go  to  Trenton 
and  find  out  what  the  chances  of  work  were  there,  with  the 
probability  that  owing  to  the  general  depression  of  business 
the  result  would  be  very  unfavorable. 

After  the  brief  conversation  before  alluded  to,  Mr.  Moore 
and  the  other  gentleman  walked  up  to  where  I  was  standing 
and  Mr.  Moore  introduced  the  gentleman  with  him  as 
John  Griffin,  their  general  manager.  I  confess  that  I  had 
some  dread  of  meeting  him,  as  the  words  general  manager 
at  that  day  seemed  to  my  simple  mind  as  though  I  were  to 
meet  a  supercilious  kind  of  a  person  who  would  hold  one 
at  a  distance,  but  the  contrary  was  the  case.  Mr.  Griffin 
was  a  fine-looking,  affable,  and  intelligent  gentleman;  the 
last-named  trait  worried  me,  as  I  did  not  know  how  to  talk 
to  him.  After  some  hesitation,  I  mustered  up  the  courage 
to  tell  him  what  I  wanted.  He  then  asked  me  what  I  had 
been  doing,  and  if  I  was  afraid  of  hard  work.  I  answered 
both  questions  in  a  manner  that  seemed  to  be  entirely 
satisfactory,  and  he  told  me  to  come  to  work  the  next 
morning. 

When  I  entered  the  mill  first  to  go  to  work,  I  fully 
realized  that  I  was  amongst  entire  strangers,  without  pres- 
tige to  aid  me  or  compass  to  direct  my  course,  with  mind 
untrained  for  systematic  work  or  study,  with  but  scant 
education  and  untrained  talent.  My  thoughts  naturally 
went  back  to  the  scenes  of  my  boyhood  days,  and  to  the 
old  home  where  my  kind  parents  and  my  loving  sisters  and 
brothers  still  remained.  My  feelings  at  that  time  can  be 
better  imagined  than  described.  I  now  fully  realized  that 
I  was  enlisted,  as  a  private,  in  the  army  for  the  great  battle 
of  life,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  faithfully  do 
my  duty  in  whatever  position  chance  might  place  me. 

I  was  put  to  work  by  the  foreman  to  assist  the  mechanics 


FIG.  3.  — JOHN  FRITZ  IN  HIS  YOUTH.     (From  an  old  daguerreotype). 


(43) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  45 

in  erecting  the  machinery,  boilers,  and  furnaces  in  the  mill. 
I  went  diligently  to  work,  keeping  my  eyes  and  ears  open 
and  my  mouth  shut.  In  a  few  weeks  I  was  advanced  to 
the  grade  of  a  regular  mechanic,  and  continued  in  this  posi- 
tion until  the  mill  was  completed  and  in  operation.  I  was 
soon  after  placed  in  charge  of  all  the  machinery  of  the  plant. 
This  was  quite  a  responsible  position,  and  soon  proved  to 
be  an  onerous  one.  There  were  three  sets  of  rolls  in  the 
mill,  all  driven  by  one  engine.  This  made  a  number  of 
gear  wheels  necessary,  in  order  to  have  the  trains  properly 
located  and  the  proper  speed  for  each  set  of  rolls.  In 
order  to  have  the  rotation  of  one  set  of  rolls  changed  to 
deliver  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  other  two,  idlers  were 
used.  These  idlers  soon  proved  to  be  a  source  of  great 
trouble,  as  all  idlers  do,  whether  animate  or  inanimate. 
It  was  here  that  my  most  serious  trouble  commenced,  and 
simultaneously  my  rolling-mill  education  commenced. 

The  cogs  in  the  wheels  would  break  out,  and  at  times 
would  get  out  of  mesh  with  the  wheels  in  contact;  a  general 
smash-up  was  the  result,  and  the  whole  plant  would  come 
to  a  standstill.  Then  it  was  work  day  and  night,  in  the 
grease,  until  all  was  ready  to  start  again, —  a  job  which 
sometimes  would  take  a  week  or  more.  At  times  only  a 
cog  or  so  would  break  out,  and  we  would  dovetail  and  bolt 
others  in  their  places  temporarily,  at  all  times  a  most 
dangerous  practice,  but  so  expeditious  that  we  would  fre- 
quently assume  the  risk.  But  the  trouble  became  so 
serious  and  costly  that  the  idlers  were  taken  out  and  re- 
placed by  two  wheels  of  proper  diameter  to  gear  into  each 
other,  thereby  entirely  dispensing  with  the  idler.  This 
portion  of  the  mill  gave  but  little  trouble  after  the  change 
was  made,  but  the  product  was  delivered  on  the  wrong  side 
of  the  rolls,  and  had  to  be  passed  back  over  them.  This 
caused  delay  and  was  to  a  small  extent  costly,  but  the 


46  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

consequent  delay  and  cost  could  be  reckoned  absolutely 
per  ton  of  finished  product,  while  the  cost  resulting  from 
the  delay  and  repairs  of  a  breakdown  could  not  be  foretold. 

It  was  there  that  my  hostility  to  all  geared  mills  com- 
menced, and  I  said  if  ever  I  had  an  opportunity  to  build  a 
rolling  mill,  there  would  not  be  a  cog  wheel  in  the  rolling 
department,  and  my  opinion  has  not  changed.  It  was  here 
that  the  little  knowledge  I  had  gained  about  the  locomotive, 
combined  with  a  small  amount  of  practice  with  hammer 
and  chisel,  and  also  a  pretty  good  amount  of  experience 
in  how  to  do  rough  machine  work  without  tools,  was  a  great 
advantage  to  me  in  keeping  in  order  and  making  repairs 
on  the  engines  and  the  general  mill  machinery.  At  last  the 
machinery  in  the  mill  was  gotten  into  what  was,  for  that 
time,  fairly  good  working  order. 

Having  previously  made  up  my  mind  to  learn  the  iron 
business,  practically,  in  all  its  departments,*  I  concluded 
to  take  up  puddling  first.  This  was  the  most  difficult 
branch  of  the  business  to  learn  and  properly  control,  and 
at  that  time  the  most  important  and  most  arduous.  As 
my  time  was  fully  occupied  in  the  day  in  looking  after  and 
keeping  the  machinery  in  order,  the  only  possible  time  under 
the  then  existing  conditions  was  to  spend  the  evenings  after 
supper  at  the  puddling  furnaces  until  about  ten  o'clock. 
This  I  did  every  evening,  until  I  obtained  a  good  practical 
knowledge  of  the  art.  At  the  same  time  I  gave  the  furnace 
much  thought  and  discovered  that  when  the  furnace  was 
new  it  did  not  work  as  well  as  when  it  was  about  burnt  out. 
I  made  up  my  mind  that  the  roof  was  much  too  low.  When 
put  in,  the  bricks  were  nine  inches  in  length  and  the  furnace 
would  be  run  as  long  as  the  bricks  stayed  in  place,  until  the 
roof,  in  places,  was  but  little  over  one  inch  in  thickness. 
This  at  once  led  me  to  the  conclusion  that  the  roofs  were 
too  low,  but  I  wanted  to  be  sure  I  was  right  before  I  made 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  4? 

any  suggestions.  After  several  months  of  long  hours,  and 
hard  and  laborious  work,  and  much  thought  on  both  the 
process  of  puddling  and  the  improvement  that  was  possible 
on  the  furnace,  I  concluded  that  I  had  gained  sufficient 
practical  knowledge  to  enable  me  to  build  a  much-improved 
furnace,  for  both  puddling  and  heating. 

During  all  this  time  I  had  charge  of  the  mechanical  end 
of  the  business,  which  of  the  many  branches  of  this  great 
iron  and  steel  industry  is  the  most  essential  for  success. 
It  matters  not  how  well  you  may  be  skilled  in  all  other 
branches,  if  your  machinery  is  imperfect  you  will  surely 
come  to  grief,  and  the  only  possible  way  to  attain  success 
is  to  obtain  a  thorough  practical  knowledge  of  both  the 
engineering  and  the  mechanical  construction  of  all  the 
machinery  used  in  the  art.  My  desire  to  secure  this 
knowledge  became  inordinate,  as  I  soon  learned  that  with- 
out it  success  could  at  most  be  only  partial.  Having 
already  mentioned  some  of  my  troubles  in  this  line,  it  is 
only  necessary  to  say  they  were  many  and  great  and  con- 
stantly increasing.  Never  shirking  a  responsibility  and 
never  missing  an  opportunity  to  acquire  knowledge  was 
at  all  times  my  guiding  star. 

Now,  having  by  hard  and  hot  work  and  long  hours 
succeeded  in  acquiring  a  good  knowledge  of  puddling, 
which  at  that  time  was  the  only  process  known  to  make 
cheap  and  fairly  good  iron  out  of  pig  iron  made  in  the  blast 
furnace  with  a  mineral  coal  as  a  fuel,  and  being  quite  well 
satisfied  that  I  could  make  important  improvements  in  the 
puddling  and  heating  furnaces,  I  turned  my  attention  to 
the  heating  and  rolling  departments,  which  are  both  im- 
portant, and  spent  my  evenings  there  in  the  same  way  I 
had  done  in  the  puddling  branch  of  the  business,  in  order 
to  get  a  thorough  practical  knowledge  of  the  heating, 
rolling,  and  finishing  departments.  This  was  the  only  way 


48  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

possible  to  secure  the  knowledge  I  had  fully  made  up  my 
mind  to  obtain.  While  the  work  was  much  less  laborious 
than  that  which  I  had  performed  in  the  puddling  depart- 
ment, there  were  many  problems  met  that  were  difficult 
to  solve  and  at  the  commencement  gave  me  much  anxiety, 
owing  to  the  secretiveness  of  the  workmen,  especially  of 
the  rollers  and  roll  turners,  who  kept  their  templets  in  their 
pockets.  At  that  time  the  practical  men  in  the  mill, 
especially  the  rollers  and  roll  turners,  were  generally  English 
or  Welsh,  and  they  were  very  jealous  of  any  person  whom 
they  suspected  of  having  any  desire  to  learn  their  secrets. 
This  made  it  exceedingly  difficult  to  get  any  information 
direct  from  them.  The  experience  I  had  gained  in  using 
tongs  in  the  smith  shop  now  became  useful,  and  the  rollers 
were  much  surprised  at  my  skill  in  handling  them.  Con- 
sequently, I  soon  learned  to  roll  on  the  puddle  rolls,  and  on 
the  roughing  or  breaking-down  rolls,  as  they  are  frequently 
called.  Both  being  hard  work,  the  rollers  did  not  object  to 
my  taking  the  tongs  and  giving  them  a  rest  for  a  spell. 
This  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  get  quite  a  good  knowledge 
of  the  proper  shape  and  of  the  amount  of  work  that  was 
being  done.  At  the  same  time  I  became  better  acquainted 
with  the  men  and  had  in  no  small  degree  gained  their 
confidence,  which  is  a  great  step  forward  in  the  management 
of  men.  Much  to  my  surprise,  this  soon  proved  to  be  a 
great  advantage  to  them. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
NORRISTOWN.  —  Continued. 

ABOUT  this  time  I  was  called  to  the  office  by  the  pro- 
prietors. This  was  so  unusual  that  it  caused  me  some  mis- 
givings as  to  what  they  wanted.  I  promptly  responded  to 
their  call,  however,  and  was  informed  that  they  wanted  me 
to  take  charge  of  the  mill  on  the  night  turn.  This  was  truly 
a  great  surprise,  as  such  a  possibility  had  never  entered  my 
mind.  After  my  surprise  had  in  a  measure  subsided,  I  said 
to  them  that  I  did  not  think  I  was  capable  and  did  not  wish 
to  assume  so  great  a  responsibility.  I  also  said  there  were 
several  young  men  who  had  been  in  their  employ  longer 
than  I  had  and  were  entitled  to  promotion,  and  as  there 
was  some  clerical  work  to  be  done,  they,  being  much  better 
educated  than  I,  would  be  better  prepared  to  fill  the  posi- 
tion. I  gave  their  names,  two  of  them  being  nephews  of 
Mr.  Moore,  who  was  the  spokesman  on  that  occasion.  In 
reply  he  said,  "  John,  if  I  were  going  to  look  for  thee  in  the 
evening  until  ten  o'clock,  I  would  come  to  the  mill."  This 
was  the  first  intimation  I  ever  had  that  the  owners  of  the 
works  were  paying  any  attention  to  what  I  was  doing  after 
working  hours.  After  some  further  conversation  on  the 
subject,  both  Mr.  Moore  and  Mr.  Hooven  assured  me  that 
it  would  be  a  source  of  great  comfort  to^them  to  know  that 
I  was  in  the  mill  at  night,  it  being  important  to  have  a 
practical  mechanic  there  at  all  times.  Knowing  this  even 
better  than  they  did,  I  accepted  the  offer,  but  I  did  so 
reluctantly,  as  I  feared  it  might,  in  a  measure,  interfere 
with  my  plans  for  gaining  a  more  practical  knowledge  of 

49 


50  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  iron  business;  this  I  had  fully  determined  to  practically 
work  out  in  each  and  every  branch.  My  mind  had  become, 
if  possible,  more  fully  imbued  with  the  importance  of  the 
iron  business,  and  I  believed  that  it  was  sure  to  become  the 
leading  branch  of  American  industry. 

After  taking  charge  as  Night  Superintendent,  I  soon 
found  that  the  practical  knowledge  I  had  gained  by  working 
at  nights  at  the  puddling  furnace,  and  the  attention  and 
thought  I  had  given  the  heating  and  rolling  departments, 
had  fairly  well  qualified  me  for  the  position  I  was  placed 
in.  After  some  five  or  six  months  of  hard  and  vexatious 
work  I  was  placed  on  the  day  turn,  in  order  to  relieve  Mr. 
Hooven,  the  acting  partner,  of  much  of  the  active  work. 
By  this  change,  Mr.  Hooven  and  I  could  consult  together 
on  every  problem  that  might  arise.  Such  problems  were  at 
that  time  of  almost  daily  occurrence,  it  being  previous  to 
the  application  of  that  beautiful  and  wonderful  science  of 
chemistry  to  the  metallurgical  arts,  especially  in  the  iron 
and  steel  industries. 

I  will  allude  to  only  one  of  the  problems,  and  that  one 
simply  to  give  an  idea  of  the  difficulties  that  we  encountered, 
and  the  roundabout  way  we  had  to  resort  to  in  order  to  find 
out  what  the  trouble  was,  and  how  to  avoid  it.  To-day  we 
simply  take  a  piece  of  iron  or  steel  to  the  laboratory  and 
say  to  the  chemist,  "  This  piece  of  metal  is  cold-short  or 
red-short,  and  I  want  you  to  tell  me  what  causes  it  to  be 
so."  In  a  short  time  and,  comparatively  speaking,  at  a 
trivial  expense,  we  get  the  desired  information,  which 
enables  us  at  once  to  remedy  the  evil,  whatever  it  may  be. 
In  making  bar  iron,  flats  and  squares,  the  iron  has  to  be 
made  neutral  —  that  is,  neither  cold-  nor  red-short.  Con- 
sequently, neutral  iron  is  much  more  troublesome  and  ex- 
pensive to  make  than  either  cold-  or  red-short.  This  was 
prior  to  the  introduction  of  what  is  known  as  the  boiling 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  51 

process,  which  is  in  use  at  this  time,   generally  called 
puddling. 

The  difference  in  the  practice  of  to-day  and  that  of  fifty 
or  more  years  ago  is  principally  in  what  is  called  the  fixing 
or  lining  of  that  part  of  the  furnace  in  which  the  iron  is 
worked.  In  the  old-time  practice,  called  the  dry  or  fer- 
menting process,  soapstone  was  used  for  the  lining,  and  only 
white  or  mottled  pig  metal  was  suitable.  In  the  present 
practice  iron  ore  is  used.  Phosphorus  is  the  principal 
element  that  makes  iron  cold-short  (a  fact  which  at  that 
time  we  did  not  know),  and  all  pig  iron  contains  more  or 
less  of  it;  consequently  it  was  a  most  difficult  task  to  get 
a  pig  iron  that  was  right,  and  the  only  way  we  had  of  learn- 
ing was  by  experimenting,  which  was  both  troublesome  and 
expensive.  After  succeeding  in  finding  an  iron  that  could 
be  used  successfully,  another  and  unexpected  trouble 
turned  up.  In  making  round  iron  for  shafting  and  car 
axles,  red-short  pig  iron  was  used.  When  we  would  change 
back  to  neutral  iron  for  flat  and  square  bars,  we  would  find 
for  a  time  that  the  neutral  iron  had  become  red-short. 
This  was  a  surprise  and  caused  great  annoyance,  expense, 
and  delay.  It  was  thought  that  the  men  who  had  charge 
of  the  pig  iron  had  made  some  mistake,  and  had  gotten  the 
different  irons  mixed,  but  we  could  find  nothing  wrong 
there.  Next  the  blast-furnace  men  were  accused  of  using 
different  ores,  or  hot  blast,  but  they  vigorously  denied  it. 
After  a  more  thorough  investigation  it  was  found  that  the 
trouble  occurred  every  time  the  change  was  made,  and  that 
the  trouble  righted  itself  in  a  few  days.  This  thoroughly 
satisfied  us  that  it  was  not  the  fault  of  the  pig  metal  but 
that  the  trouble  was  somewhere  in  the  manipulation,  and 
the  only  cause  to  which  we  could,  in  any  possible  way, 
attribute  it  was  the  cinder  used  in  charging  the  furnace. 
Accordingly  we  had  the  cinder,  made  while  puddling 


52  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

neutral  iron,  kept  separate,  and  when  the  change  was  made 
from  red-short  iron  to  neutral,  the  cinder  was  correspond- 
ingly changed,  and  the  trouble  ended.  This  was  an  impor- 
tant lesson,  and  one  that  I  will  refer  to  later. 

Being  now  practically  in  charge  of  the  mill  and  being  in 
touch  with  Mr.  Hooven,  I  had  the  opportunity  to  talk  with 
him  in  regard  to  a  number  of  improvements  which  I  had 
thought  out  while  I  was  working  at  night  at  the  puddling  and 
heating  furnaces.  The  one  to  which  I  had  given  the  most 
thought,  before  alluded  to,  was  the  increase  in  the  height 
of  the  roof  over  the  puddling  furnace.  I  considered  this  to 
be  of  the  utmost  importance,  and  I  wanted  the  roof  raised 
some  nine  or  ten  inches.  Mr.  Hooven  thought  I  was  a  little 
wild  and  suggested  the  width  of  a  nine-inch  brick  —  that  is, 
about  four  and  a  half  inches.  At  the  same  time  I  thought 
it  would  be  an  advantage  to  have  the  furnace  longer,  but 
this  was  not  possible  except  at  a  great  expense,  and  the 
height  of  the  roof  could  be  raised  only  some  four  inches, 
except  at  a  considerable  expense,  which  the  condition  of 
the  business  at  that  time  did  not  warrant.  So  the  roofs 
were  raised  only  about  four  inches.  Later  they  were  raised 
nine  inches.  This  made  quite  an  improvement  in  the 
working  of  the  furnace  and  thoroughly  satisfied  me  that 
the  change  was  in  the  right  direction.  I  shall  refer  to  this 
later  on. 

I  was  now  completely  installed  in  my  new  position,  and 
found  both  Mr.  Hooven  and  Mr.  Moore  very  clever  and 
companionable  gentlemen.  They  soon  seemed  to  place 
entire  confidence  in  my  ability  to  look  after  the  mill,  not 
only  in  a  general  way  but  in  detail.  This  I  did  and  it 
pleased  them  very  much. 

Notwithstanding  I  was  now  practically  in  charge  of  the 
mill,  my  hat  still  fitted  me,  and,  as  formerly,  I  came  to  the 
mill  every  evening,  not  to  work  at  the  puddling  furnace,  as 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  53 

I  had  previously  done,  but  to  go  through  the  works  leisurely, 
seeing  what  was  being  done  and  how,  and  thinking  whether 
any  improvements  could  be  made,  either  in  the  machinery 
or  in  the  practice.  As  the  mill  was  in  charge  of  the  night 
foreman,  I  was  in  a  measure  relieved  of  the  responsibility 
that  I  was  subjected  to  during  the  day,  in  looking  after  the 
mill  and  seeing  that  the  machinery  was  kept  in  proper  order, 
and  in  addition  having  everything  made  ready  for  the  night 
turn.  The  night  foreman  had  only  to  see  that  the  work  was 
properly  done  and  the  machinery  well  looked  after.  My 
mind  being  much  relieved  at  night-time,  it  was  in  a  much 
better  condition  to  imbibe  and  retain  any  improvements 
that  might  be  suggested. 

One  night  an  amusing  incident  happened.  We  were  short 
of  steam  and  I  put  a  cut-off  on  the  engine;  as  we  wanted 
it  finished,  we  concluded  to  work  on  it  at  night.  Archie 
Johnston  was  doing  the  work.  Mr.  Hooven  took  a  great 
interest  in  it  and  stayed  with  us  all  night.  While  I  was 
busy  at  work  at  the  engine  house,  they  got  to  talking. 
The  flywheels  used  to  go  to  pieces  in  those  days.  Mr. 
Hooven  said,  "  Now,  I've  got  a  flywheel  in  my  mind  that 
will  not  go  to  pieces."  Archie  said,  "  What  is  it?"  Mr. 
Hooven  said  he  wasn't  going  to  tell.  After  a  while  Archie 
said,  "  I've  got  a  puddling  machine  in  my  mind."  Mr. 
Hooven  said,  "What  is  it  like?"  "Well,"  said  Archie, 
"  you  tell  me  about  the  flywheel  and  I'll  tell  you  about  the 
puddling  machine." 

At  that  time  the  mill  men,  such  as  puddlers,  heaters,  and 
rollers,  were  generally  English  and  Welsh,  and  they  got  a 
full  share  of  my  time.  In  the  evenings  between  heats, 
while  they  were  smoking  their  pipes,  cutties  as  they  generally 
called  them,  I  would  sit  down  on  a  charge  of  pig  iron  and 
listen  to  them  describing  their  mills  in  England  and  Wales, 
and  their  method  of  working.  In  all  of  this  I  was  greatly 


54  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

interested,  and  at  the  same  time  I  gained  their  confidence, 
which  is  so  essential  in  the  management  of  workingmen. 
In  all  my  experience  I  have  ever  sought  to  secure  and  retain 
the  good  will  of  the  workmen.  With  confidence  fully 
established  between  the  workmen  and  their  employer, 
strikes  rarely  occur.  I  continued  spending  evenings  in 
the  mill  as  usual,  and  did  so  as  long  as  I  remained  at  Norris- 
town.  My  friends  were  all  the  time  saying  that  it  was  all 
foolishness  to  spend  so  much  time  at  nights  in  the  mill, 
but  what  I  learned  in  this  way  helped  me  greatly  in  the 
discharge  of  my  duty  as  Superintendent  on  the  day  turn, 
and  proved  to  be  of  inestimable  value  to  me  in  after  life. 
In  fact,  it  was  the  foundation  of  whatever  success  I  may 
have  attained. 

I  was  now  in  a  position  to  learn  thoroughly  the  rolling- 
mill  practice,  as  it  then  existed,  which  included  the  manu- 
facture of  merchant  bar  iron  of  all  general  sizes, — flats, 
squares,  and  rounds,  and  in  addition  boiler  plate,  tank  plate, 
skelp  plate  for  making  welded  pipe,  cut  nails  and  spikes  of 
all  sizes.  All  of  these  branches  were  practically  under  my 
general  charge.  Mr.  Hooven,  attending  to  the  office  and 
the  general  business,  had  but  little  time  to  be  in  the  mill 
beyond  giving  orders  as  to  the  work  that  should  be  done. 
All  this  work  was  done  in  the  daytime  and  was  conse- 
quently under  my  general  charge,  but  I  found  that  looking 
after  the  machinery,  which  had  to  be  kept  in  good  order, 
was  the  most  onerous,  difficult,  and  uncertain  duty  I  had 
to  perform,  and  above  all  the  others  combined  the  source 
of  the  greatest  anxiety.  When  the  machinery  went  wrong, 
as  it  frequently  did,  the  whole  plant  was  brought  to  a  stand- 
still. So  serious  were  the  breakdowns,  that  they  would 
at  times  keep  the  plant  idle  for  a  week  or  more  at  a  time, 
compelling  us  to  put  in  new  gear  wheels,  and  new  teeth  in 
some  of  the  old  ones,  which  caused  me  trouble.  Many 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  55 

years  after  (at  the  celebration  of  my  seventieth  birthday), 
I  was  arrested,  tried,  and  convicted  for  practicing  dentistry 
without  a  diploma. 

With  all  the  troubles  that  beset  us  we  made  some  im- 
provements and  a  little  money,  and  established  the  reputa- 
tion for  making  the  best  iron  in  the  country.  I  was  very- 
proud  of  this  reputation,  and  I  have  ever  endeavored  to 
follow  the  example  set  me  by  Mr.  Hooven,  of  never  allowing 
anything  to  go  out  of  the  works  that  was  not  the  best  in 
its  line.  This  policy,  if  rigidly  carried  out,  will  surely  pay, 
and  to  a  conscientious  person  it  is  a  source  of  much  grati- 
fication to  feel  conscious  that  he  has  done  his  best. 

Quite  a  pleasant  episode  took  place  one  day  in  the  office, 
which  at  first  seemed  as  if  it  might  prove  to  be  a  source  of 
embarrassment,  as  for  a  short  time  it  did.  A  gentleman 
representing  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna  and  Western  Rail- 
road, came  into  the  office  quite  hurriedly  and  with  but  little 
formality,  and  said:  "  I  want  to  talk  to  you  about  car  axles. 
Some  two  or  three  years  ago  we  got  some  from  your  works, 
and  I  was  told  you  used  nothing  but  charcoal  pig  iron  in 
your  plant."  Mr.  Hooven's  face  all  at  once  became  red, 
and  I  must  even  at  this  late  day  confess  that  I  did  not  feel 
very  comfortable,  as  there  had  not  been  a  pound  of  charcoal 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  those  car  axles.  I  had  had  no 
little  to  do  in  bringing  this  condition  of  affairs  about,  and 
whatever  might  have  occurred  I  would  have  to  face  the 
music.  Mr.  Hooven,  supposing  there  was  something 
wrong  with  the  axles,  asked  him  what  the  trouble  was.  The 
visitor  said,  "  Nothing  at  all.  They  were  the  best  axles 
we  ever  had  on  our  road,  and  we  want  a  thousand  more  just 
like  them."  Then  Mr.  Hooven  explained  to  him  that,  in  a 
measure,  he  had  been  misinformed;  that  while  it  was  true 
we  used  nothing  but  charcoal  pig  iron  in  the  manufacture 
of  bar  iron,  —  flats,  squares,  and  small  rounds,  —  yet  heavy 


56  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

rounds,  such  as  shafting  and  car  axles,  were  made  entirely 
out  of  pig  iron  smelted  with  anthracite  coal.  The  gentle- 
man then  said  he  did  not  care  what  they  were  made  out  of 
but  that  he  wanted  one  thousand  more  axles  just  like  the 
others.  He  said  that  they  had  had  a  train  of  cars  going  up 
a  heavy  grade;  near  the  top  of  the  grade  the  cars  broke 
loose  at  the  tender  and  ran  back  at  a  furious  speed,  and  on 
striking  a  curve  went  off  the  track  down  an  embankment 
and  were  piled  on  top  of  each  other  and  all  smashed  to 
pieces;  wheels  and  axles  had  been  broken  in  all  sorts  of 
ways,  but  not  one  axle  with  "Norristown"  stamped  on  it 
was  broken.  The  pig  iron  used  had  been  largely  made  at 
the  Robesonia  furnace,  out  of  Cornwall  ore,  and  had  been 
puddled  by  the  old  dry  process,  and  I  doubt  if  equally  good 
iron  could  be  so  successfully  made  at  this  time  by  the  same 
process  of  puddling.  At  that  time  we  were  in  the  dark  for 
a  reason  why  the  iron  was  so  perfectly  free  from  cold-short- 
ness, and  we  did  not  know  until  after  the  introduction  of 
the  Bessemer  process,  a  practice  that  compelled  us  to  know 
absolutely  what  was  in  the  ore.  It  was  then  that  the 
chemist  was  called  in  to  tell  us  some  of  Nature's  wonderful 
secrets.  This  will  be  referred  to  again,  and  more  fully, 
under  the  Bessemer  process. 

In  1849  Messrs.  Reeves,  Abbott  and  Company  arranged 
to  build  a  rail  mill  and  blast  furnace  at  Safe  Harbor,  on  the 
Susquehanna  River,  about  twelve  miles  below  Columbia 
and  ten  miles  from  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania.  Having  in 
mind  that  the  furnace  and  the  rail  branches  of  the  iron 
industry  were  in  the  near  future  destined  to  become  im- 
portant parts  of  the  business,  and  having  quite  a  good 
knowledge  of  rolling-mill  practice,  and  a  very  good  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  machinery,  such  as  was  used  in  the 
rolling  mills  of  that  day,  I  made  up  my  mind  that  it 
would  be  a  good  thing  to  learn  something  practical  about 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  57 

the  manufacture  of  rails  and  blast-furnace  practice.  Being 
determined  to  learn  all  I  could,  and  having  an  opportunity 
to  assist  in  building  both  the  furnace  and  the  mill,  I  con- 
cluded to  accept  the  position. 

It  so  happened  that  Mr.  John  Griffin,  who  was  General 
Manager  of  the  Norristown  Iron  Works  when  I  went  there, 
had  been  made  the  General  Superintendent  at  Safe  Harbor, 
and  wanted  me  to  go  there  with  him,  but  did  not  want  me 
to  leave  Moore  &  Hooven  without  their  consent.  So  I 
went  directly  to  them,  fully  and  frankly  stated  the  position 
in  which  I  was  placed,  and  also  told  them  how  important 
it  would  be  to  me  to  get  such  a  practical  knowledge  as  could 
be  obtained  in  assisting  in  the  erection  of  the  rolling  mill 
and  furnace  plant.  At  the  same  time  I  told  them  Mr. 
Griffin  would  not  take  me  without  their  consent  and  that 
consequently  I  was  at  their  mercy. 

At  first  they  both  demurred,  saying  they  did  not  want 
me  to  leave  them;  they  moreover  pointed  out  that  Mr. 
Griffin  could  not  afford  to  pay  the  salary  they  were  paying 
me.  "  In  this,"  I  said,  "  you  are  correct,  and  I  do  not 
expect  it,  but  the  knowledge  gained  will  much  more  than 
compensate  for  the  difference  in  salary."  My  Norristown 
position  was  paying  me  $1000  a  year,  but  I  gave  this  up 
for  a  $650  position  in  order  to  obtain  knowledge  of  another 
branch  of  the  iron  business.  I  asked  them,  especially  Mr. 
Moore,  who  was  a  very  liberal  and  broad-minded  man,  to 
give  the  matter  full  consideration.  In  the  course  of  a  few 
days  I  was  called  to  the  office  and  Mr.  Moore  said  they  had 
thought  the  subject  over  very  fully  and  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  my  views  on  the  subject  were  correct  and 
that  they  could  not  conscientiously  stand  in  the  way  of  my 
accepting  the  situation.  We  parted  the  best  of  friends,  as 
we  had  ever  been,  and  remained  so  until  death  called  them 
both  to  their  long  home. 


58  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

The  time  at  length  arrived  when  I  had  to  say  good-by  to 
the  proprietors  who  had  been  so  good  and  kind  to  me,  and 
to  the  loyal  and  kind-hearted  workingmen,  who  had  ever 
faithfully  performed  their  duty,  and  were  ready  to  obey  any 
proper  command.  During  the  three  long  years,  which,  if 
measured  by  the  hours  I  was  in  the  works,  compared  with 
the  time  now  spent  in  a  similar  position,  would  surely  be 
over  five  years,  so  good  and  faithful  were  the  employees  that 
I  cannot  remember  having  had  to  discharge  a  single  work- 
man, or  having  had  occasion  to  severely  reprimand  one. 
This  was  no  doubt  largely  due  to  the  mutual  confidence 
which  at  all  times  existed  between  us;  and  this  kindly  and 
loyal  feeling  was  no  doubt  established  while  I  was  working 
at  night  at  the  puddling  furnace,  gaining  all  the  knowledge 
I  could  from  them  in  regard  to  the  art  of  puddling,  the  most 
essential  branch  of  the  business.  During  the  talks  between 
heats,  before  referred  to,  I  gained  quite  a  good  knowledge 
of  the  arrangement  of  the  mills  and  the  methods  of  manage- 
ment, all  of  which  was  useful  to  me,  and  my  familiarity  with 
the  workmen  doubtless  had  much  to  do  in  bringing  about 
the  pleasant  relations  that  ever  existed  between  workmen 
and  myself.  I  was  never  happier  than  when  surrounded  by 
them,  and  I  found  that  if  properly  treated,  they  were  ever 
loyal  and  faithful.  I  said  to  one  of  my  good  friends  that 
I  went  to  work  in  Norristown  an  entire  stranger  and  now  I 
left  with  a  host  of  friends,  to  whom  I  sorrowfully  bade 
good-by  to  try  my  fortune  in  another  place  and  in  another 
branch  of  the  business,  which,  in  my  opinion,  was  des- 
tined to  become  more  and  more  important.  I  had  made 
up  my  mind  that  I  would  know  something  about  it,  well 
knowing  it  meant  a  year  or  more  of  the  hardest  and 
most  vexatious  class  of  work  ever  encountered,  but  I  had 
no  fear  of  hard  work  and  would  gain  knowledge  that 
would  surely  prove  valuable  in  after  life. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
SAFE  HARBOR. 

IN  May,  1849,  I  went  to  Safe  Harbor.  In  Lancaster, 
while  waiting  for  a  conveyance  to  carry  my  trunk  to  its 
destination,  I  met  a  gentleman  whom  I  happened  to  know, 
who  knew  all  about  Safe  Harbor,  and  who  tried  to  persuade 
me  not  to  go  there,  saying  it  was  the  worst  place  in  the  whole 
State  of  Pennsylvania  for  fever  and  ague,  and  that  no 
stranger  ever  escaped  it.  From  the  way  he  talked  the 
probabilities  were  that  I  would  die  with  it.  I  told  him  my 
object  in  going  there.  He  shook  his  head,  smiled,  and  said 
good-by.  I  arrived  at  Safe  Harbor  in  the  evening  and 
secured  a  boarding  house,  but  not  a  very  homelike  one. 
After  supper  I  walked  down  to  the  confluence  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna  River  and  the  Conestoga  Creek,  quite  a  large 
stream,  about  a  third  of  a  mile  from  my  boarding  house. 
After  taking  a  somewhat  cursory  view  of  the  waters  and 
their  surroundings,  I  became  somewhat  apprehensive  that 
my  Lancaster  friend's  predictions  might  prove  correct. 
However,  my  mind  was  made  up  to  try  to  learn  something 
of  the  rail  business,  and  bad  and  all  as  the  fever  and  ague 
was,  it  required  something  more  dreadful  to  cause  me  to 
change  my  purpose. 

The  next  morning  at  five  o'clock  I  was  at  the  works. 
At  that  time  the  mechanics  worked  twelve  hours  for  a  day's 
work.  At  about  seven  o'clock  Mr.  John  Griffin,  before 
mentioned,  the  General  Superintendent,  came  into  the  mill 
where  I  was  and  said,  "  Well,  Fritz,  how  are  you?  I'm 
glad  to  see  you  here.  You  have  got  here  just  in  time.  The 

59 


60  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

machinery  is  now  coming  and  I'm  anxious  to  have  it  put 
in  place  as  soon  as  possible."  How  different  was  this 
meeting  from  our  first  meeting  in  Norristown  several  years 
previous,  when  we  met  as  entire  strangers,  and  I  not  even 
knowing  what  I  would  be  called  on  to  do  or  what  I  could  do. 
Now  we  met  as  friends,  with  full  confidence  in  each  other 
personally,  and  he  was  satisfied  that  I  was  competent  to  do 
the  work  he  had  designated  for  me.  At  that  time  the  duties 
of  a  person  in  charge  of  the  erection  of  machinery  about  an 
iron  works  were  very  different  from  what  they  are  to-day. 
It  was  expected  that  he  should,  in  a  general  way,  under- 
stand rolling-mill  practice.  Most  of  the  machinery,  except 
the  engines,  was  fitted  up  in  the  mill,  and  there  were  no 
planers  or  slotting  machines  large  and  heavy  enough  to  do 
the  work  on.  The  two-handed  chisel  and  sledge  were  sub- 
stitutes for  them,  and  men  that  were  skilled  in  their  use 
could  do  a  large  amount  of  work  in  a  day,  so  well  that  but 
little  work  with  the  hand  chisel  and  file  was  required  to 
make  the  parts  fit  for  use.  All  of  this  work  had  to  be 
looked  after  by  the  person  in  charge  and  it  was  essential 
that  he  should  be  a  practical  mechanic,  and  besides  he  had 
to  do  his  own  erecting.  At  that  time  the  facilities  for 
hoisting  and  handling  heavy  weights  were  about  as  in- 
adequate as  the  machines  were  for  doing  heavy  work. 

The  plan  of  the  mill  being  much  the  same  as  that  at 
Norristown,  I  was  quite  at  home  in  it.  The  gearing  was 
well  fitted  up  and  made  heavy  and  strong,  so  as  not  to 
break,  —  but  it  did  break,  as  will  be  mentioned  later.  I 
got  my  crew  organized,  mostly  Pennsylvania  Germans, 
fresh  from  the  farm,  without  any  knowledge  of  what  they 
were  going  to  do,  but  they  were  good  and  willing  workers 
and  apt,  soon  becoming  expert  in  handling  the  heavy  parts 
of  the  machinery,  and  in  doing  the  general  work,  such  as 
is  common  in  the  erection  of  a  new  iron  plant. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  6t 

After  getting  the  men  fully  organized,  we  got  along  with 
my  part  of  the  work  so  rapidly  that  it  was  evident  that  the 
rolling  mill  would  be  completed  before  the  blast  furnace. 
Then  the  blast  furnace  superintendent  would  be  in  trouble, 
as  the  mill  could  not  start  until  they  could  get  pig  iron. 
Mr.  Collins,  the  furnace  manager,  came  to  me  and  begged 
me  to  help  him  get  the  furnace  completed  so  that  he  could 
be  making  iron  before  the  mill  was  ready  to  start.  I  told 
him  to  see  Mr.  Griffin  and  that  I  would  do  whatever  Mr. 
Griffin  wished  me  to  do.  Consequently  Mr.  Griffin  came 
to  me  and  told  me  that  Collins  was  in  trouble  and  wanted 
me  to  help  him  out,  and  he,  Mr.  Griffin,  wished  to  know  if 
I  was  willing  to  go.  I  said,  "  Certainly."  I  was  at  all  times 
ready  to  do  whatever  he  might  want  me  to  do,  but  I  told 
him  I  would  prefer  not  to  work  with  the  men  who  were 
putting  up  the  blowing  machinery,  as  they  were  too  slow 
and  their  gait  would  demoralize  my  men.  I  suggested  to 
him  that  I  put  up  the  gas  and  hot-blast  pipe  and  the  hot- 
blast  stoves,  or  ovens,  as  they  are  at  times  called.  This  I 
was  anxious  to  do,  as  it  was  an  important  part  of  furnace 
work  —  a  branch  of  the  iron  business  that  I  had  made  up 
my  mind  to  learn.  Both  Mr.  Griffin  and  Mr.  Collins  were 
pleased  that  I  was  going  to  take  hold  of  that  part  of  the 
plant,  but  they  had  no  idea  of  the  difficulty  that  was  in 
store  to  get  the  pipe  in  place.  In  order  to  have  the  plant 
built  quickly,  different  parts  of  the  work  had  been  done  in 
various  places.  This  fact  caused  me  much  anxiety,  the 
probability  being  that  the  work  from  the  different  shops 
would  not  come  at  the  same  time.  Being  about  a  hundred 
miles  from  the  shops  where  the  work  was  done  might  cause 
much  delay,  and  I  might  be  blamed  for  a  part  of  it.  When 
mistakes  are  made,  there  is  too  frequently  a  disposition  on 
the  part  of  the  parties  who  make  them  to  shift  the  blame 
on  some  one  else. 


62  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

Well,  the  first  part  of  the  work  I  took  hold  of  was  the 
pipe  that  conveyed  the  gas  from  the  top  of  the  furnace  to 
the  hot-blast  stove  and  boilers.  The  total  length  of  the 
pipe  was  about  seventy  feet,  the  diameter  sixty-six  inches. 
It  had  three  angles  in  it,  and  it  was  shipped  in  three  pieces 
for  convenience  of  carriage.  After  some  trouble  I  got  a 
mast  long  enough  to  hoist  the  pipe  in  place,  but  the  pipe 
did  not  fit,  the  error  in  the  angles  being  so  great  that  it 
would  not  go  in  place.  Mr.  Collins  was  at  hand  and,  being 
of  an  impetuous  disposition,  he  fairly  exploded  in  the  use 
of  language  that  was  both  expressive  and  impressive.  We 
next  sent  for  Mr.  Griffin.  He  looked  it  over  and  calmly 
said  it  was  a  bad  job,  and  that  it  would  have  to  be  sent 
back  to  the  shop.  This  would  take  several  weeks  and  be  an 
expensive  job,  as  the  pipe  would  have  to  be  hauled  some 
ten  miles  on  a  wagon  to  the  railroad,  that  being  the  best 
route  to  take  it  for  the  quickest  transportation.  From  the 
first,  my  mind  was  made  up  that  the  best  and  quickest  way 
was  to  do  the  work  right  there,  and  after  the  excitement  was 
somewhat  allayed  I  so  told  them.  They  wanted  to  know 
who  was  there  that  could  do  it.  I  told  them  that  I  could 
do  it.  They  said,  "  It  requires  a  boiler  maker,  and  you 
are  not  one.'7  In  reply  I  said,  "  I  do  not  pretend  to  be  a 
boiler  maker,  but  having  held  the  dolly  for  riveting  up 
boilers,  worked  the  punch  lever  for  punching  the  plates, 
turned  the  rolls  for  bending  them,  chipped  and  calked  the 
joints  and  seams,  and  done  some  boiler  patching,  and 
knocked  the  skin  off  my  left  hand  during  my  apprentice- 
ship, I  am  quite  sure  that  I  can  make  a  creditable  job  out 
of  it."  Besides  I  looked  upon  it  as  much  more  of  an  en- 
gineering problem  than  a  mechanical  one.  Finally,  Mr. 
Griffin  said,  "  If  you  feel  sure  you  can  do  it,  go  ahead." 
This  I  did  and  at  once  set  to  work  to  get  the  proper  angles. 

While  I  was  at  this  part  of  the  work,  much  the  most 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  63 

difficult  I  had  there,  a  fine-looking,  elderly  gentleman  came 
along.  It  being  a  very  hot  day  he  was  carrying  an  um- 
brella, which  was  uncommon  at  that  time  unless  it  was 
raining  quite  fast.  He  looked  up  at  the  pipe  and  said, 
"  Young  man,  that  does  not  seem  to  have  the  proper  angles." 
In  reply  I  said  to  him,  as  pleasantly  as  one  could  do  under 
the  circumstances,  as  I  thought  it  was  none  of  his  business, 
"  They  are  not  right."  After  getting  the  correct  angles,  we 
took  the  pipe  down  and  in  one  week's  time  made  the  change 
and  had  the  pipe  up  again  in  its  proper  place,  all  right. 
Just  as  we  had  gotten  the  derrick  down  and  the  place  cleared 
away,  the  same  gentleman  came  along  again.  He  looked 
up  at  the  pipe  and  said,  "  Young  man,  you  have  made  a 
good  job  of  it."  After  he  went  away  I  asked  one  of  the 
workmen  who  had  been  at  the  works  from  the  start  who 
that  gentleman  was.  He  said,  "  He  is  one  of  the  owners, 
but  I  do  not  know  his  name."  Soon  after  I  learned  from 
Collins  that  it  was  Mr.  David  Reeves,  who  afterwards 
became  one  of  my  lifelong  friends. 

[After  completing  the  work  at  the  furnace  which  was 
assigned  to  me,  I  returned  to  the  mill,  and  took  up  my  work, 
which  was  in  the  same  condition  as  when  I  left  it.  In  the 
meantime,  the  erection  of  the  machinery  had  become  well 
advanced,  so  much  so  that  it  became  necessary  for  me  to 
hustle  in  order  to  be  ready  by  the  time  the  driving  power 
was  completed.  Very  fortunately,  as  it  proved  afterwards, 
we  got  one  of  my  old  Norristown  companions,  Mr.  Louis 
Bowman,  who  was  a  good  machinist  and  a  good  worker, 
to  come  and  help  me.  Thus  far  my  force  consisted  of  none 
but  handy  laborers,  but  the  time  had  come  when  there  was 
much  machine  work  that  had  to  be  done,  requiring  good 
mechanics,  who  were  used  to  that  class  of  work.  All  went 
smoothly  until  the  works  were  started;  then  trouble  com- 
menced. As  the  squeezer  was  driven  by  bevel  gear,  placed 


64  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

underneath,  the  cinder  would  fall  in  the  gear  wheels  and 
on  the  journals,  which  caused  them  to  cut  and  grind  out 
to  such  an  extent  that  the  mill  could  not  make  good  time. 
We  finally  took  the  squeezer  up  and  made  a  shield  of  boiler 
plate  to  fit  tight  around  the  shaft.  Here  the  knowledge 
I  had  of  boiler  making  came  in  handy  again.  After  the 
shaft  and  journals  were  completely  protected  they  did  not 
make  much  trouble. 

The  next  trouble  that  turned  up  was  with  the  flywheel 
shaft.  They  called  me  up  at  about  three  o'clock  one  morn- 
ing. I  went  to  the  mill  and  found  one  of  the  journals  cut 
and  ground  down  from  twelve  to  eight  and  one  half  inches 
in  diameter.  Just  before  sending  for  me  they  had  sent  for 
Mr.  Griffin,  and  he  came  in  shortly  after  I  had  gotten  there. 
The  day  and  night  superintendents  were  both  there,  and 
the  engineer  whose  fault  it  was.  They  all  had  a  powwow 
over  it,  and  all  concluded  there  must  be  a  new  shaft,  which 
would,  at  that  time,  take  at  least  two  weeks  to  get. 

I  stood  a  little  in  the  background,  but  was  taking  in  all 
that  each  of  them  had  to  say.  Mr.  Griffin  was  in  the  habit, 
when  any  trouble  occurred,  and  I  was  about,  of  saying, 
"  Fritz,  what  would  you  do? "  This  was  what  I  was  ex- 
pecting to  come.  He  turned  toward  me,  and  said,  "  Fritz, 
this  is  a  bad  case,  what  would  you  propose  to  do  with  it?  " 
I  said,  "  Mr.  Griffin,  I  would  turn  it  up  in  place."  He 
asked  if  I  could  do  that.  I  said,  "  Yes."  Then  they  all 
said  it  would  be  too  light  to  stand  the  work,  and  would 
surely  break  and  might  kill  a  number  of  people.  I  then 
told  them  I  would  get  a  new  pedestal  six  inches  longer  than 
the  present  one,  and  would  make  the  journal  six  inches 
longer  by  trueing  up  six  inches  of  the  body  of  the  shaft, 
which  was  twelve  inches  in  diameter.  Should  the  smaller 
part  of  the  journal  break,  this  would  keep  the  shaft  in  place, 
and  it  would  be  perfectly  safe,  so  far  as  the  workmen  were 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  65 

concerned.  I  suggested,  however,  that  a  new  shaft  be 
ordered  at  once,  that  we  might  be  prepared  for  future 
emergencies.  Mr.  Griffin  said,  "  All  right,  go  ahead  day 
and  night  until  you  have  it  completed." 

The  workmen  at  that  time  were  very  skeptical,  and  did 
not  believe  the  job  could  be  done  as  I  proposed,  and  so 
reasoned  from  the  fact  that  I  had  suggested  the  ordering  of 
a  new  shaft.  There  was  a  heater  named  John  Griffith,  a 
Welshman,  who  was  a  first-class  heater,  and  a  very  intelli- 
gent man.  He  had  listened  attentively  to  what  had  been 
said,  and  soon  after  the  crowd  had  left,  he  came  to  me  and 
said,  "  You  have  but  little  skilled  help  that  will  be  of  any 
use  to  you  in  doing  this  job,  and  I  am  something  of  a 
machinist  and  am  quite  sure  I  can  be  of  service  to  you,  if 
you  will  give  me  the  opportunity."  I  said,  "  John,  come 
on  and  go  to  work,  as  I  want  all  the  good  help  I  can  get,  and 
must  have  one  good  man  for  the  night  turn."  My  right- 
hand  man,  Louis  Bowman,  had  had  a  part  of  his  thumb 
taken  off  in  the  machinery  and  had  gone  back  to  his  home 
in  Norristown  to  have  it  taken  care  of.  Personally,  I  was 
suffering  from  fever  and  ague.  Altogether  things  were  in 
a  bad  shape  to  take  hold  of  such  an  unusual  job  as  that 
which  confronted  us.  Yet  with  all  the  impending  difficul- 
ties, and  they  were  many,  we  went  to  work,  raised  the  fly- 
wheel shaft  to  its  proper  place,  and  put  a  temporary  bearing 
under  the  journal.  Notwithstanding  that  all  the  tools  and 
fixtures  had  to  be  improvised,  the  next  morning  we  com- 
menced turning  the  journal.  In  about  a  week's  time  the 
mill  was  in  operation  again,  and  the  shaft  ran  for  years, 
with  the  new  shaft  lying  close  by,  and  did  not  break,  but 
was  replaced  by  the  new  one  during  some  extensive  repairs. 
John  Griffith  proved  to  be  a  good  mechanic  and  was  a  great 
help  to  me,  having  charge  on  the  night  turn  during  this 
vexatious  job. 


66  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

Shortly  after  starting  up  again,  Mr.  Griffin  said  the  mill 
was  not  getting  out  the  amount  of  work  that  it  should  do, 
and  asked  me  what  I  thought  about  it.  I  told  him  that 
I  fully  concurred  with  his  views.  He  was  anxious,  indeed 
it  was  absolutely  necessary,  to  produce  a  much  greater 
tonnage  in  order  to  make  their  contract  deliveries,  and  he 
asked  if  I  would  take  the  mill  by  contract,  so  much  per  ton. 
I  told  him  that  I  would  like  to  do  so,  but  that  together  with 
the  fever  and  ague  and  the  hard  work  I  had  been  doing  since 
I  had  been  with  him,  I  was  fearful  that  I  could  not  keep  up 
under  any  more  of  a  load,  having  to  do  the  roll  turning, 
which  at  times  was  about  all  that  one  man  could  do.  After 
some  thought  over  the  subject,  and  being  fully  satisfied 
that  the  tonnage  could  be  greatly  increased,  which  meant 
increased  compensation,  I  told  Mr.  Griffin  that  Bowman 
would  be  back  and  that  if  he  was  able  to  go  to  work,  and 
would  join  me,  we  would  take  hold  of  it.  On  Bowman's 
return,  I  stated  Mr.  Griffin's  proposition  to  him  and  what 
he  would  have  to  do  to  make  a  success  of  it.  He  agreed 
with  me  in  everything  and  was  anxious  to  accept  Mr. 
Griffin's  proposition,  which  we  did. 

Now,  having  almost  practical  control  of  the  manufacture, 
we  did  our  very  best  to  get  the  mill  in  good  shape,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  month  we  about  doubled  the  output,  a  condition 
of  affairs  which  pleased  Mr.  Griffin  very  much,  and  much 
elated  both  Bowman  and  myself.  Besides  the  pride  we 
had  in  what  we  had  done,  we  were  each  of  us  earning  much 
more  money  than  we  had  ever  earned  before. 


CHAPTER  X. 
FEVER  AND  AGUE. 

IN  the  course  of  two  or  three  months,  the  fever  and  ague 
increasing  in  violence,  and  the  attacks  becoming  more 
frequent,  together  with  the  hard  and  exacting  work  which 
required  a  strenuousness  that  I  could  not  endure,  I  was 
compelled  to  leave  the  place  or  die.  I  naturally  chose  the 
former  course  and  went  home  to  the  old  farm.  Having 
great  faith  in  the  old  family  physician,  I  thought  he  surely 
could  cure  me,  but  he  utterly  failed  to  do  me  any  good. 

There  was  a  lady  —  a  lovely  woman  —  living  on  an  adjoin- 
ing farm,  who  practiced  the  Thomsonian  system  of  medicine, 
which,  at  that  time,  had  many  followers,  and  being  a  good 
neighbor  and  a  kindly  woman,  she  took  a  great  interest  in 
me  and  most  thoroughly  diagnosed  my  case.  I  told  her 
of  all  my  efforts  to  prevent  the  chill  from  coming  on,  that 
I  had  lain  on  a  three-inch-thick  plank  between  two  heating 
furnaces,  both  at  work,  and  only  thirty  inches  apart,  that 
the  chill  and  shake  had  come  on  while  I  was  lying  there, 
that  the  suffering  I  had  endured  was  simply  indescribable, 
and  that  it  had  become  a  matter  of  indifference  to  me 
whether  I  lived  or  died.  I  also  told  her  that  every  person 
I  met,  black  or  white,  had  a  cure  for  me.  After  I  had  told 
her  all,  she  said  if  I  had  faith  she  could  surely  warm  me  up. 
I  told  her  I  ought  to  be  very  strong  in  faith,  as  I  had  drawn 
but  little  on  my  stock  on  hand  of  late.  The  first  thing  she 
gave  me  was  a  concoction  of  lobelia,  as  an  emetic,  which 
made  me  so  sick  I  thought  I  should  surely  die.  After  I  had 
in  a  measure  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  emetic,  she 

67 


68  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

gave  me  a  dose  of  the  concentrated  essence  of  all  the  heat- 
giving  plants  known  in  the  science  of  botany;  it  was  so  hot 
that  I  was  fearful  I  should  take  on  fire,  but  she  at  once 
assured  me  that  there  was  no  danger,  and  that  she  had  now 
accomplished  what  was  absolutely  essential.  Before  con- 
valescence could  be  expected,  the  cold  needed  to  be  com- 
pletely expelled  from  the  system  and  must  be  driven  from 
the  center  out.  The  good  woman  was  greatly  elated  when 
I  told  her  she  had  certainly  warmed  me  up.  She  was  now 
confident  that  she  could  cure  me,  but  you  can  imagine  her 
surprise  when  she  came  the  next  morning  and  found  me 
suffering  with  one  of  my  worst  chills,  and  I  told  her  I  did 
not  have  any  faith  in  the  Thomsonian  theory  of  medicine. 
It  was  useless  to  pursue  in  that  direction  any  further. 

In  the  meantime,  my  former  employers  at  Norristown, 
Messrs.  Moore  &  Hooven,  had  learned  where  I  was  and 
wrote  for  me  to  come  back  to  them.  I  answered  their  letter, 
saying  I  was  totally  unfit  to  do  anything  but  sit  about,  and 
in  the  morning  try  to  keep  from  freezing,  and  in  the  after- 
noon try  to  keep  from  roasting.  They  replied  to  come  over 
at  once,  as  I  could  sit  in  Norristown  as  well  as  I  could  in 
Chester  County  and  they  could  have  the  benefit  of  my 
experience. 

Mr.  Joseph  C.  Herr  of  Philadelphia,  a  good  friend  of 
mine,  owned  some  iron  ore  property  in  Michigan  about  ten 
or  twelve  miles  from  the  Lake  Superior  shore.  He  was 
going  out  to  see  it,  and  wanted  me  to  go  with  him.  He  and 
others  of  my  friends  thought  a  change  of  climate  and  sur- 
roundings would  certainly,  in  a  measure,  be  beneficial  to 
my  health.  Of  one  thing  I  was  quite  sure,  the  journey  could 
not  make  me  any  worse,  and  so  I  arranged  to  meet  him  in 
Cleveland  and  go  with  him.  In  the  meantime  on  my  way 
to  Cleveland  I  took  in  Newcastle  and  Sharon,  Pennsylvania, 
to  see  the  iron  works  at  those  places  and  in  the  vicinity. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  69 

On  the  morning  of  the  Fourth  of  July  I  went  down  to 
Beaver,  to  take  the  boat  for  Wheeling.  While  waiting  for 
the  boat  I  had  one  of  my  worst  chills  and  went  down  to 
the  bank  of  the  Ohio  River  and  lay  in  the  hot  sun  with  a 
heavy  overcoat  on,  shaking  like  a  nail-packing  machine. 
Every  party  that  came  along  had  something  to  say,  gener- 
ally asking  what  was  the  matter  with  me.  Some  of  these 
remarks  were  quite  amusing  to  me,  even  cold  as  I  was. 
One  fellow  said,  "  Come  on,  all's  the  matter  with  him  is  he 
has  got  too  much  of  the  Fourth  of  July  in  him."  I  told  this 
class  of  people,  "  You'd  better  go  on,  as  you  may  catch  the 
fever  and  ague  and  it  is  worse  than  the  cholera."  There 
was  cholera  about  at  that  time.  The  more  sympathetic 
class  would  want  to  know  what  was  the  matter  with  me. 
I  told  them  it  was  fever  and  ague,  but  that  they  should 
not  be  alarmed  as  it  was  not  contagious.  They  wanted  to 
know  if  there  was  anything  they  could  do  for  me.  I  told 
them  the  only  thing  that  they  could  do  was  to  stop  the 
first  boat  that  came  down  the  river  and  put  me  on  board 
for  Wheeling,  which  they  did.  While  they  were  very  kind, 
yet  I  think  they  were  glad  to  get  me  away,  fearing  some- 
thing might  happen  to  me. 

The  first  thing  I  did  after  my  arrival  in  Wheeling  was  to 
secure  the  services  of  a  good  physician.  After  spending 
several  days  in  Wheeling  under  the  care  of  a  doctor,  I 
recuperated  sufficiently  to  enable  me  to  get  to  Cleveland 
and  meet  my  friend,  Mr.  Herr,  at  the  time  appointed. 
After  spending  a  few  days  in  Cleveland,  we  took  passage 
on  a  steamboat  for  Ste.  Marie,  this  being  before  the  canal 
was  cut  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  connecting  the  waters  of  Lake 
Superior  with  Lake  Huron.  When  we  arrived  at  Ste. 
Marie,  we  had  to  wait  some  two  or  three  days  for  the  arrival 
of  a  boat  on  Lake  Superior  to  take  us  to  Marquette,  that 
being  the  nearest  landing  to  the  iron  mines  we  most  wanted 


70  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

to  see.  At  that  time  there  were  only  two  boats  on  Lake 
Superior.  Some  time  after  they  collided  and  one  of  them 
sank,  and,  as  I  now  remember,  several  lives  were  lost.  The 
trip  from  Cleveland  to  Ste.  Marie  was  very  pleasant;  the 
water  on  Lake  Erie,  Lake  Huron,  and  Lake  Superior  was 
all  the  time  very  smooth.  The  passage  through  Detroit 
River,  Lake  St.  Clair,  St.  Clair  River,  and  St.  Mary's  River 
is  quite  narrow  in  many  places,  so  that  we  could,  without 
a  glass,  see  both  shores  at  the  same  time.  There  were  quite 
a  number  of  passengers  aboard,  most  of  them  very  pleas- 
ant people,  including  some  stage  celebrities,  one  of  them 
being  Miss  Charlotte  Cushman,  then  in  her  palmy  days. 
In  addition  there  was  a  brass  band  on  board,  which 
would  occasionally  blow,  in  order  to  stir  the  animals  up. 
Altogether,  it  was  a  very  pleasant  and  enjoyable  trip, 
and  one  that  even  at  this  late  day  I  look  back  to  with 
pleasure. 

The  voyage  on  Lake  Superior  from  Sault  Ste.  Marie  was 
rather  monotonous  until  we  were  nearing  Marquette,  when 
the  lake  quite  suddenly  became  rough.  This  caused  an 
epidemic  which  continued  until  we  arrived  at  Marquette. 
There  were  no  deaths  and  many  of  the  patients  landed 
there,  and  all  their  stomachs  were  in  fine  condition  to 
receive  a  good  square  meal.  This  was  no  easy  matter  to 
get,  there  being  at  that  time,  as  my  memory  serves  me  now, 
only  three  or  four  houses,  one  of  them  a  hotel  built  out  of 
boards  in  shanty  style.  Ground  rents  being  cheap,  kitchen, 
dining  room,  sitting  room,  parlor,  and  sleeping  rooms  were 
all  on  the  first  floor. 

We  landed  in  the  evening.  Early  the  next  morning  we 
looked  for  a  guide  and  transportation.  The  former  we 
found  without  delay,  but  the  latter  was  very  difficult  to 
procure.  The  best  we  could  find  was  a  single  mule  which 
we  chartered,  concluding  that  we  would  ride  and  tie,  which 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  71 

means  that  one  of  the  party  rides  the  animal  for  say  half 
an  hour,  then  gets  off,  ties  him  and  goes  on  foot;  when  the 
other  party  comes  up  to  the  mule,  he  gets  on  him  and  rides 
the  same  length  of  time,  and  ties.  We  soon  found  that  the 
plan  did  not  work  in  this  case,  as  both  of  us  walked  faster 
than  the  mule,  consequently  we  put  Mr.  Mule  in  charge 
of  the  guide  and  let  him  hurry  him  along,  and  Mr.  Herr  and 
I  footed  it  together,  which  was  more  comfortable  than 
riding  the  mule. 

We  went  first  to  see  what  was  called  the  Cleveland  loca- 
tion, which  showed  a  body  of  ore  that,  to  a  person  used 
to  mining  brown  hematic  ore,  was  truly  marvelous.  We 
wanted  to  see  what  was  known  at  that  time  as  the  Jackson 
location,  a  few  miles  distant.  The  guide  did  not  want  to 
go,  saying  there  was  more  ore  where  we  were  than  could 
ever  be  taken  away.  At  that  time  I  was  told  that  a  con- 
trolling interest  could  be  secured  in  said  Jackson  location 
for  $25,000,  and  I  at  once  made  up  my  mind  when  I  re- 
turned home  I  would  try  to  induce  some  of  the  iron  men 
to  take  the  subject  up. 

The  next  day  we  returned  to  Marquette  and  went  up  to 
Eagle  Harbor  to  see  a  copper  mine.  On  the  boat  were 
several  gentlemen  who  were  interested  in  the  mine  I  was 
going  to  see.  As  we  had  gotten  pretty  well  acquainted  on 
the  boat,  they  invited  us  to  go  with  them,  and  go  down  in 
the  mine  and  see  the  native  copper  about  which  they  had 
much  to  say.  Of  course  I  accepted  their  invitation  and 
went  with  them.  The  mine  was  of  some  depth,  but  I 
cannot  remember  how  many  feet  it  was.  After  reaching 
the  bottom  and  creeping  through  a  small  hole,  we  saw  a 
mass  of  fine  copper  they  said  would  weigh  five  or  six  tons, 
which,  to  my  mind,  would  cost  more  to  get  out  than  they 
could  get  for  it  in  the  market.  They  had  to  take  out  the 
rock  over  it  to  give  room  for  the  workmen  to  swing  the 


72  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

sledge,  as  it  had  to  be  cut  in  small  pieces  in  order  to  get 
it  out  of  the  mine. 

In  the  evening,  after  we  got  back  to  the  hotel,  as  it  was 
called,  they  asked  what  I  thought  of  the  native  copper  I 
had  seen  in  their  mine.  I  told  them  that  to  me  it  was  a 
marvel,  but  would  cost  too  much  to  get  to  the  surface  to 
ever  make  it  pay,  and  said  if  I  had  money  to  invest,  I 
should  certainly  put  it  in  the  iron  mines  I  had  seen  near 
Marquette,  as  they  would  surely  become  very  valuable. 
But  their  heads  had  been  so  completely  turned  by  the  solid 
copper  they  had  seen  that  day  that  they  did  not  seem  to 
know  that  there  was  such  a  thing  as  iron  ore  in  the  world. 
I  afterwards  learned  they  lost  all  the  money  they  put  in  the 
copper  mine. 

Now,  having  seen  all  that  we  intended  to  see,  and  my 
health  being  seemingly  much  improved,  so  much  so  that  I 
was  anxious  to  get  back  to  work  again,  we  turned  our  faces 
homeward.  I  anticipated  much  pleasure  in  getting  back 
to  Safe  Harbor  and  felt  able  to  nil  my  position  again. 

But  how  soon  one's  fondest  hopes  are  blasted.  At 
Detroit  we  had  to  change  boats,  as  I  wanted  to  go  to  Dun- 
kirk, my  friends  going  to  Cleveland.  While  waiting  for  my 
boat,  I  had  unmistakable  evidence  of  the  return  of  my  old 
enemy.  I  went  on  board  as  soon  as  I  could  and  at  once 
went  to  my  room  and  got  to  bed,  and  suffered  with  a  most 
violent  fever  all  night.  I  arrived  in  Dunkirk  at  about  half 
past  eight  in  the  morning,  about  an  hour  late.  The  express 
train  for  Philadelphia,  with  which  the  boat  was  to  connect, 
had  gone  about  half  an  hour  before.  Rather  than  lie  there 
all  day,  I  took  an  accommodation  train  for  Elmira.  Soon 
after  we  left  Dunkirk,  the  chill  came  on.  After  every  stop 
the  train  made  the  conductor  would  come  along,  saying, 
"  Tickets,  gentlemen."  Any  person  who  has  ever  suffered 
with  fever  and  ague  will  fully  appreciate  how  annoying  this 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  73 

was.  At  last  I  lost  all  patience  and  said  to  the  conductor 
that  any  man  that  could  not  remember  a  passenger  sitting 
in  a  car  behind  the  door,  with  a  heavy  winter  overcoat  on, 
shaking  with  ague  on  a  hot  August  day,  was  totally  unfit 
to  be  a  conductor  on  any  railroad.  After  this  short  con- 
versation he  disturbed  me  no  more. 

I  arrived  at  Elmira  in  the  evening,  and  as  soon  as  I  got 
to  the  hotel  I  told  the  proprietor  I  wanted  him  to  send  for 
the  best  doctor  in  Elmira.  This  he  did  at  once.  In  a  short 
time  the  doctor  came  to  my  room,  and  said,  "  Young  man, 
what's  the  matter?  "  I  told  him  I  had  fever  and  ague.  He 
wanted  to  make  a  diagnosis  of  my  case  so  that  he  could  treat 
me  more  intelligently.  I  told  him  that  was  useless,  and 
would  only  be  a  waste  of  time,  as  I  had  fever  and  ague, 
pure  and  simple.  I  then  asked  him  if  he  had  any  remedy 
other  than  quinine;  he  said  he  had  not.  I  then  told  him 
to  give  me  a  prescription  on  the  best  druggist  in  town  for 
thirty  grains  in  three  doses.  He  asked  me  when  I  was  going 
to  take  them.  I  replied,  "  All  before  twelve  o'clock."  He 
said,  "  That  will  not  do,  the  dose  is  too  large;  it  will  make 
your  head  buzz  like  a  lot  of  bumblebees."  Experience  told 
me  it  would  do  so. 

The  next  morning  I  took  the  train  for  New  York  and 
escaped  the  chill,  but  my  head  was  in  a  bad  condition  for 
several  days.  I  went  from  New  York  directly  home  to 
Chester  County  and  remained  there  for  a  few  days  and  then 
went  to  Safe  Harbor,  to  give  it  another  trial,  but  I  could 
not  remain,  as  the  attacks  became  more  frequent  and  so 
violent  that  I  was  compelled  to  leave  the  best  job  I  ever 
had  up  to  that  time.  I  was  again  a  complete  wreck  and 
cared  but  little  whether  I  lived  or  died,  so  I  bade  Safe 
Harbor  a  final  adieu,  and  again  went  home  to  Chester 
County. 

When  I  got  back  from  Lake  Superior  in  1852,  after  visiting 


74  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  iron  mines  out  there,  the  iron  business  was  in  an  awful 
condition.  Every  one  who  had  anything  to  do  with  iron 
was  out  of  patience.  In  an  effort  to  get  them  interested 
in  the  Jackson  location,  I  went  to  see  Coleman,  Kelton  & 
Campbell,  Commission  men  in  Philadelphia,  and  they  were 
the  only  people  who  would  talk  about  it.  I  was  almost  a 
boy,  but  they  treated  me  very  nicely,  said  they  saw  the 
value  of  the  proposition,  but  that  business  was  very  dull 
and  the  property  was  too  far  away.  Another  iron  man  said 
I  might  as  well  talk  about  bringing  iron  ore  from  Kamchatka 
as  from  the  Jackson  location.  In  reply,  I  said,  "  You  will 
see  iron  ore  from  Lake  Superior  sold  in  Philadelphia  within 
ten  years."  Receiving  no  encouragement,  I  finally  gave 
the  matter  up.  If  I  had  had  $25,000,  I  would  have  bought 
one  half  interest  in  the  Jackson  location  and  it  has  been 
worth  millions  and  is  still  extremely  valuable. 

I  was  now  in  my  old  home,  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
surroundings  where  I  passed  my  boyhood  days,  the  happiest 
days  of  my  life,  but  now  in  a  condition  that  I  did  not  know 
or  care  what  I  was  going  to  do.  In  the  course  of  a  week 
or  so  my  old  Norristown  employers  learned  that  I  had  left 
Safe  Harbor  and  had  gone  back  home.  They  wrote  me, 
saying  they  wanted  me  to  come  back  to  them.  I  replied, 
saying  I  was  unfit  for  work  of  any  kind.  I  was  simply  able 
to  sit  around,  sometimes  in  the  house  or  shade,  sometimes 
in  the  sun;  some  days,  if  able,  I  would  get  to  the  barn.  To 
this  they  replied,  the  same  as  previously,  saying  to  come 
on,  I  could  sit  around  as  well  with  them  as  I  could  in  Chester 
County  and  they  could  have  the  benefit  of  my  experience 
and  advice.  Consequently,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  go. 

A  few  days  after  I  had  been  at  Norristown,  an  old  friend 
of  mine  came  into  the  mill  to  see  me  and  expressed  much 
delight  at  seeing  me  back  again  in  my  old  place.  He  said 
in  a  brusque  but  familiar  manner,  "  What  the  devil  ails 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP  JOHN  FRITZ  75 

you?"  I  told  him  I  had  the  fever  and  ague.  "Damn 
you,"  he  said,  "  you  ought  to  have  it."  I  said,  "  What  do 
you  mean?"  "  Why,"  he  replied,  "  I  told  you  a  year  ago 
what  to  do  and  if  you  had  done  it  you  would  surely  be 
cured."  "  Yes,"  I  said,  "  but  almost  every  person  I  have 
met  for  the  last  year  has  told  me  of  a  certain  cure ;  many  of 
them  I  tried  but  all  failed  and  I  became  disgusted  and  re- 
pudiated them  all."  In  reply  he  said,  "  If  you  will  go 
where  I  told  you  to  go,  to  Dr.  John  R.  Rowand,  of  Phila- 
delphia, I  will  pay  all  expenses  if  Dr.  Rowand  does  not  cure 
you."  He  said  the  doctor  had  cured  his  brother  of  the 
same  complaint  after  suffering  with  it  for  several  years. 
He  was  so  positive  that  Dr.  Rowand  would  cure  me  that 
I  told  him  I  would  go  to  see  him  the  next  day.  This  I  did. 
Dr.  Rowand  asked  me  when  I  expected  the  next  chill.  I 
told  him  in  a  day  or  so.  He  then  handed  me  a  bottle  of 
medicine,  telling  me  to  take  three  doses  during  the  day. 
He  said,  "  Ague  goes  by  the  multiple  of  seven  and  if  you 
get  it  to-day,  you  will  be  most  likely  to  get  it  in  seven  days 
from  to-day.  On  the  sixth  day  again  take  the  medicine 
and  continue  taking  it  in  periods  of  seven  days  for  a  month 
or  two."  This  I  did  and  I  have  never  had  the  least  touch 
of  ague  since,  although  it  was  a  long  time  before  my  general 
condition  became  normal.  I  do  not  know  what  the  remedy 
was,  but  I  do  know  that  I  cured  a  large  number  of  my  friends 
of  ague,  by  sending  them  to  Dr.  Rowand. 

To  show  that  a  first-class  doctor  is  not  necessarily  an 
expert  in  other  professional  lines  I  will  tell  the  following 
anecdote  about  Dr.  Rowand.  After  he  had  cured  me  of 
the  fever  and  ague  he  consulted  me  about  a  scheme  of  his 
that  he  thought  would  revolutionize  the  transportation  of 
coal.  His  plan  was  to  construct  cylinders  about  six  feet 
in  diameter  with  flanges  on  the  outside  to  fit  the  rails. 
He  enthusiastically  explained  how  easily  these  cylinders 


76  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

would  roll  along  the  rails.  After  I  had  shown  him  that  the 
coal  would  be  powdered  by  that  process  to  such  an  extent 
as  to  become  useless  he  thought  that  if  partitions  were  put 
in  the  cylinders  the  scheme  would  work.  I  had  such 
difficulty  in  convincing  him  that  the  plan  was  impracticable 
that  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  worse  than  the 
ague. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
NORRISTOWN,  SECOND  TIME. 

I  NOW  entered  the  employ  of  Moore  and  Hooven  for  the 
second  time,  and  in  my  old  position,  which  I  filled  as  far 
as  my  health  would  permit.  It  was  pleasant  to  be  back 
in  my  old  place  and  with  my  dear  friend,  Mr.  Hooven,  and 
to  be  in  the  midst  of  the  mill  workingmen  who  had  ever  been 
considerate  and  kind  to  me  and  who  received  me  with  true 
respect. 

Some  weeks  after  I  had  left  Safe  Harbor,  Mr.  David 
Reeves,  the  largest  proprietor  of  the  works,  was  there  and 
said  to  Mr.  Collins,  who  had  charge  of  the  blast  furnace, 
"  I  don't  see  the  young  man  about  who  put  up  the  work  at 
the  furnace/'  Mr.  Collins  said,  "  He  has  gone  away." 
Mr.  Reeves  asked  why  and  was  told  that  it  was  on  account 
of  fever  and  ague.  He  then  said,  "  We  can't  afford  to  lose 
him;  where  has  he  gone  to?"  He  was  told  to  Norristown. 
Mr.  Reeves  then  wrote  me,  asking  me  to  call  at  his  Phila- 
delphia office,  as  he  wanted  to  have  a  talk  with  me.  I 
called  as  requested  and  found  him  to  be  a  very  courteous 
gentleman.  He  asked  if  I  had  left  Safe  Harbor  for  good; 
I  told  him  I  had.  He  said  he  was  sorry  as  he  did  not  want 
me  to  leave  there.  I  told  him  I  also  was  very  sorry  to 
leave,  but  that  it  was  not  possible  for  me  to  stay  there  on 
account  of  fever  and  ague.  He  then  told  me  he  would  like 
to  have  me  go  to  Phcenixville  and  take  charge  of  the  shops 
and  all  the  machinery  in  the  works;  in  other  words  to  be 
their  mechanical  engineer.  He  said  if  I  would  go  there  he 
would  pay  me  a  good  salary.  I  learned  afterwards  it  would 

77 


78  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

have  been  $1500  a  year,  a  big  salary  for  that  time.  Al- 
though I  was  getting  only  $1000  a  year  at  Norristown,  I 
declined  Mr.  Reeves'  offer. 

He  then  told  me  that  he  had  personally  leased  the  old 
Kunzie  Furnace  on  the  Schuylkill  River,  about  twelve  miles 
from  Philadelphia  and  asked  me  if  I  would  be  willing  to  go 
there  and  take  charge  of  the  rebuilding  and  changes  which 
he  proposed  to  make.  I  said  I  should  be  glad  to  do  so,  as 
I  had  been  pretty  well  schooled  in  the  rolling  mills  and  I 
was  well  satisfied  that  the  mineral  coal  furnaces  must  soon 
come  to  the  front,  as  timber  was  becoming  too  scarce  and 
too  valuable  to  be  used  any  great  length  of  time  for  char- 
coal furnaces;  that  I  wanted  very  much  to  get  a  practical 
knowledge  of  the  blast  furnace,  but  that  I  had  just  arranged 
to  go  back  to  the  Norristown  Works  with  Mr.  Hooven. 
Mr.  Reeves  said  he  thought  that  all  could  be  arranged  as 
he  and  Mr.  Hooven  were  good  friends  and  the  rolling  mill 
business  was  very  dull  at  that  time,  —  and  I  knew  well  that 
was  so.  Mr.  Reeves  now  told  me  that  at  the  Kunzie 
Furnace  he  could  afford  to  give  me  but  little  more  than 
half  the  salary  he  could  give  me  at  Phoenixville.  I  asked 
him  what  he  could  give  me.  He  said,  eight  hundred  dollars 
per  year.  I  told  him  if  I  could  get  away  honorably  from 
Mr.  Hooven,  I  would  accept  the  position. 

When  I  returned  to  Norristown,  I  told  Mr.  Hooven 
frankly  the  talk  Mr.  Reeves  and  I  had  had  and  gave  him 
my  reasons  for  wanting  to  go.  I  told  him  that  I  had  quite 
a  fair  knowledge  of  all  branches  of  rolling-mill  practice  up 
to  that  time  and  was  very  anxious  to  learn  something  of 
blast-furnace  practice.  After  some  days  and  several  talks 
it  was  agreed  that  I  should  stay  with  him  long  enough  to 
get  the  mill  in  good  order,  which  would  take  some  six  or 
eight  weeks.  I  so  reported  to  Mr.  Reeves,  and  he  at  once 
agreed;  consequently  all  was  satisfactory. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  79 

After  completing  my  engagement  with  Mr.  Hooven,  and 
when  the  time  had  come  for  the  separation  for  the  second 
time  from  one  who  had  ever  been  a  true  and  kind  friend  to 
me,  to  engage  in  what  was  at  that  time,  comparatively 
speaking,  a  new  business,  with  strangers  to  work  with,  who, 
in  all  probability,  knew  but  little  if  any  more  than  I  did 
about  it,  and  my  friends  all  the  time  telling  me  how  foolish 
it  was  to  leave  such  a  position  as  I  had  and  to  accept  such  a 
one  as  I  was  going  to,  and  at  a  lower  salary,  —  I  must  con- 
fess that  I  reluctantly  left.  It  was,  however,  my  desire  and 
determination  to  get  all  the  information  possible  in  the 
practical  branches  of  the  iron  business  that  compelled  me 
to  go. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
KUNZIE  FURNACE. 

I  NEXT  reported  to  Mr.  Reeves  for  instructions.  He  told 
me  the  plans,  drawings,  and  specifications  would  be  fur- 
nished by  the  Phoenix  Iron  Company,  from  Phcenixville, 
Pennsylvania.  The  machinery,  castings,  etc.,  would  have 
to  be  made  at  different  places,  and  my  duty  would  be  to 
see  they  were  all  right  and  have  them  properly  erected, 
and  get  the  furnace  ready  for  blast.  I  also  learned  that 
Mr.  James  Collins,  of  Safe  Harbor,  was  going  to  be  the 
Business  Manager,  an  appointment  which  was  very  agree- 
able to  me.  The  furnace  had  been  built  by  Mr.  Kunzie 
(of  the  firm  of  Farr  &  Kunzie,  manufacturing  chemists  of 
Philadelphia),  who  was  an  able  chemist  but  was  without 
mechanical  or  practical  metallurgical  knowledge,  and  the 
furnace  had  been  unsuccessful  from  a  business  standpoint. 

Mr.  Kunzie's  wife  relates  a  story  on  him,  that  gives  a 
good  idea  of  the  little  chemical  knowledge  they  had  at  the 
time  of  Mr.  Kunzie's  first  experimenting  in  blast-furnace 
practice.  He  had  much  difficulty  in  blowing  in,  as  we 
call  it  to-day,  in  other  words  in  getting  the  furnace  properly 
started  in  making  iron.  After  having  much  trouble,  and 
after  several  unsuccessful  attempts  to  get  properly  started, 
he  employed  Benjamin  Perry,  known  as  Ben  Perry,  an 
Englishman,  who  was  quite  a  good  furnaceman  for  that 
time,  to  blow  the  furnace  in,  which  he  did  successfully. 
Mr.  Perry  then  wanted  to  get  away  to  blow  in  a  furnace  for 
some  one  else  and  gave  notice  to  that  effect.  Mr.  Kunzie, 
not  wanting  him  to  leave,  invited  Mr.  Perry  to  come  to  his 

So 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  8l 

house  that  evening  for  the  purpose  of  having  a  talk  with 
him  in  order  to  get  him  to  remain.  Mr.  Perry,  being  an 
uneducated  man,  who  could  neither  read  nor  write,  supposed 
it  was  a  social  and  that  he  would  get  a  drink,  consequently 
called.  Mr.  Kunzie,  being  a  thorough  chemist  and  well 
read  up  on  the  theory  of  blast-furnace  practice,  at  once 
commenced  to  talk  to  Mr.  Perry  about  the  effect  the  dif- 
ferent gases  had  on  the  proper  working  of  the  furnace  and 
had  much  to  say  about  oxygen,  hydrogen,  and  nitrogen. 
Mr.  Perry,  supposing  he  had  been  invited  to  have  a  drink, 
said  to  Mr.  Kunzie,  "  I  don't  know  a  damn  thing  about  oxy- 
gin  or  hydro-gin,  if  you  have  some  good  Holland  gin  I  will 
take  some  of  that." 

Here  let  me  say  the  problem  in  the  early  forties  was,  — 
can  iron  be  made  in  the  blast  furnace  with  anthracite  coal 
as  a  fuel?  It  was  said  (and  I  believe  correctly),  that  Mr. 
Kunzie  had  experimented  with  a  cupola  to  learn  if  heat 
sufficient  to  smelt  iron  ore  could  be  gotten  with  anthracite 
coal;  having  demonstrated  to  his  satisfaction  that  sufficient 
heat  could  be  so  gotten  he  then  built  the  furnace  to  prove  it 
practically.  But  while  he  was  experimenting,  Mr.  David 
Thomas  (afterwards  affectionately  called  Father  Thomas 
in  honor  of  his  being  the  first  man  in  this  country  to  make 
iron  with  purely  mineral  coal  as  a  fuel,  on  a  commercial 
basis)  built  the  Number  One  furnace  for  the  Crane  Iron 
Company's  Works  at  Catasauqua,  then  called  Craneville, 
and  it  was  a  success  from  the  start. 

Mr.  Kunzie  deserves  much  credit  for  what  he  did  and  had 
he  been  so  fortunate  as  to  have  had  a  good  practical  man 
with  him  he  would  have  made  a  success.  In  changing 
the  old  plant,  I  saw  some  good  ideas  had  they  been  properly 
carried  out. 

In  a  short  time  we  had  that  part  of  the  plant  that  was  to 
be  changed  torn  out  and  the  place  cleaned  up  all  ready  for 


82  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  mechanics  to  commence  to  rebuild,  and  the  machinery 
was  coming  in  and  was  being  placed  in  position  as  fast  as 
it  arrived.  Everything  so  far  had  gone  smoothly,  but  some 
of  the  work  was  not  up  to  the  standard.  I  called  the 
attention  of  the  machinist  in  charge  to  it,  requesting  him 
to  notify  the  engineer  who  had  charge  of  the  designing  of 
the  work,  that  part  of  the  work  was  not  up  to  standard 
and  also  that  some  of  his  plans  should  be  modified.  This 
brought  a  great  storm  over  my  head,  but  it  was  not  of  long 
duration.  The  engineer  came  down  on  me  full  of  fight, 
wanting  to  know  what  authority  I  had  for  criticizing  the 
workmanship.  I  told  him  it  was  my  duty  to  see  that  the 
work  was  done  and  to  have  the  furnace  erected.  "  In 
regard  to  my  criticism  of  your  designs,"  I  said,  "  they  were 
made  for  your  good,  for  I  assure  you,  that,  if  erected  on  the 
plan  you  now  propose,  the  furnace  will  be  a  dead  failure. 
The  modification  that  I  would  suggest  can  be  made  very 
readily,  and  while  it  is  not  good  engineering,  it  will  do  the 
work  and  do  it  well,  and  is  the  best  thing,  in  my  opinion, 
that  can  be  done  to  utilize  the  work  that  is  already  done." 
He  became  very  angry  and  said  the  furnace  should  be  put 
up  as  per  plan. 

I  then  told  Mr.  Collins  what  had  taken  place  between 
their  engineer  and  myself,  and  I  also  told  him  what  I  had 
never  done  before  (as  I  did  not  want  to  humiliate  the 
engineer),  that  the  plan  would  not  work,  and  that  I  did 
not  propose  to  put  up  a  job  of  work  that  I  knew  was  wrong 
and  would  not  answer  the  purpose  it  was  intended  for,  and 
that  he  should  get  some  one  else  to  take  my  place,  as  I  did 
not  wish  to  be  discharged.  I  also  told  Mr.  Collins  that 
Mr.  Hooven  wanted  me  back  at  Norristown,  and  I  would 
go  where  I  could  have  work  done  as  it  should  be. 

Mr.  Collins,  without  my  knowledge,  went  at  once  to 
Philadelphia  to  see  Mr.  Reeves,  and  told  him  what  had 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  83 

taken  place  between  the  engineer  and  myself.  Mr.  Reeves 
said,  "  You  can  tell  Fritz  that  no  one  has  the  authority  to 
discharge  him  outside  of  myself,  and  that  I  will  be  up  to- 
morrow and  see  what  the  trouble  is  and  see  if  it  can't  be 
arranged  satisfactorily  to  both  parties."  He  came  up  the 
next  day  and  we  together  looked  the  plans  over  and  he  said 
I  was  right  but  he  still  wanted  me  to  put  the  hoisting 
machinery  up  according  to  the  engineer's  plan.  This  I 
objected  to,  saying  I  could  see  no  reason  for  going  to  that 
expense  when  we  knew  that  it  would  not  work.  He  said, 
"  The  engineer  is  a  good  fellow  but  seems  to  forget  that  you 
have  had  an  experience  that  he  has  not  had,  and  it  will  do 
him  good  when  he  finds  the  hoisting  machine  will  not  work; 
he  will  begin  to  think  that  there  are  some  people  in  the  world 
that  know  a  little  more  about  some  things  than  he  does. 
He  does  not  seem  to  have  taken  into  consideration  that 
you  have  had  more  practical  experience  than  he  has  had, 
which  is  so  essential  in  changing  and  repairing  work." 

At  Mr.  Reeves'  request  I  put  up  in  place  the  work  in 
dispute  just  as  it  was  received  at  the  works.  As  soon  as 
the  furnace  was  completed  it  was  tried  and  my  predictions 
were  completely  verified.  The  material  —  coal,  ore,  and 
limestone  —  was  taken  to  the  tunnel  head  in  cars  on  an 
inclined  trestle  work.  The  difficulty  was  in  stopping  the 
cars  at  the  proper  time  and  keeping  them  in  the  proper 
position,  while  the  barrows  containing  the  ore,  coal,  and 
limestone  were  taken  off  and  the  material  dumped  in  the 
furnace. 

When  ready  to  start  I  asked  Mr.  Collins  to  have  Mr. 
Reeves  and  the  engineer  on  hand  and  on  the  top  of  the 
furnace,  to  see  how  their  arrangement  for  getting  stock  up 
was  going  to  work,  and  to  have  them  near  the  lever  that  was 
to  control  the  car,  being  well  satisfied  that  they  all  could 
not  get  it  out  of  gear.  I  placed  the  engineer  at  the  throttle 


84  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

with  instructions  to  run  slowly  and  keep  his  eye  on  me. 
I  would  place  myself  in  a  position  where  I  could  see  the 
men  on  top  and  him  and  I  would  signal  him  when  to  stop. 
I  also  instructed  the  leverman  and  manager  to  try  to  stop 
the  car  before  it  reached  the  top. 

All  being  ready  we  started  up.  When  the  car  was  about 
some  twenty  feet  from  the  top  the  leverman  tried  to  stop  it, 
but  failed.  Mr.  Collins  then  jumped  to  the  lever,  then  the 
engineer  who  had  designed  the  plan,  and  finally  Mr.  Reeves. 
All  failed  to  get  it  out  of  gear,  so  I  signaled  the  engineer 
to  stop  the  engine.  They  all  came  down  and  came  into 
the  engine  house  to  see  me.  Mr.  Reeves  said,  "  Well, 
Fritz,  I  think  we  are  all  satisfied  that  this  design  will  not 
work,  and  I  want  you  to  change  it  to  the  plan  you  first 
proposed  and  no  one  shall  interfere  with  you  in  any  way." 
So  at  it  I  went  and  made  drawings,  such  as  were  made  at 
that  time,  had  such  patterns  made  as  were  actually  neces- 
sary, and  castings  were  made,  set  up  and  in  place  in  about 
ten  days'  time. 

All  worked  to  our  entire  satisfaction  and  in  about  two 
weeks  we  had  the  furnace  in  blast  and  everything  going 
well  and  the  changes  that  were  made  all  working  as  in- 
tended. The  furnace  continued  to  do  well,  made  good 
iron  and  for  that  time  a  large  quantity,  and  was  considered 
the  best  furnace  on  the  Schuylkill.  Everything  operated 
so  satisfactorily  that  Mr.  Reeves  sent  his  furnaceman  and 
engineer  to  see  how  nicely  all  was  going.  The  engineer 
and  I  talked  over  the  failure  of  his  plan  for  the  hoist, 
and  he  said  it  went  to  show  that  one  man  did  not  know 
everything  and  that  I  had  one  great  advantage  over  him 
and  that  was  experience,  which  was  all  important  to  the 
engineer.  From  that  day  until  his  death  we  were  close 
friends  and  consulted  with  each  other  on  important  prob- 
lems. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  85 

One  important  improvement  in  furnace  practice  that 
was  made  at  that  time  was  brought  about,  I  might  say,  by 
accident.  One  of  the  keepers  was  Mr.  Collins'  brother, 
and  the  other  one  was  a  Welshman.  On  the  latter's  turn 
the  most  and  best  iron  was  made.  Mr.  Collins,  the  Man- 
ager, was  constantly  finding  fault  with  his  brother,  and 
charged  him  with  negligence,  especially  on  the  night  turn, 
where  the  difference  was  at  all  times  the  greatest  when 
Collins  was  on  duty.  Being  anxious  to  learn  all  I  could 
about  blast-furnace  practice,  I  spent  my  spare  time  about 
the  furnace,  consequently  knew  much  better  what  was  going 
on  there  than  the  Manager  did.  My  sympathy  was  with 
the  brother,  who  was  at  all  times  watchful,  and  in  my 
opinion,  the  more  competent  man. 

At  that  time  there  was  a  space  under  the  tymp,  which 
was  about  two  feet  from  the  inside  of  the  crucible,  and  the 
dam  plate  about  three  feet  from  the  tymp,  making  the 
opening  about  five  feet  in  length  and  some  thirty  inches 
in  width.  This  was  used  when  the  furnace  was  in  blast, 
the  idea  being  that  it  was  necessary  to  clear  the  hearth  or 
bottom  of  the  crucible  of  anything  that  might  collect  there 
when  the  furnace  was  in  blast.  After  the  iron  was  run  out 
of  the  furnace  it  was  the  practice  to  clean  this  space,  with 
bar  and  sledge,  at  the  expense  of  a  great  amount  of  hard 
work.  The  space  was  then  filled  with  coal  dust  and  loam, 
then  covered  with  a  heavy  cast-iron  plate  held  in  place  by  a 
prop  against  a  cast-iron  plate  or  lintel  in  front  of  the  tymp; 
this  had  to  be  done  after  every  cast  and  once  between 
casts,  the  time  for  casting  being  morning  and  evening. 
This  working  of  the  furnace,  as  it  was  called,  was  done 
about  the  middle  of  the  day.  This  intermediate  working, 
I  made  up  my  mind,  was  worse  than  useless.  I  could  see 
no  sense  whatever  in  driving  the  heavy  long  cold  bars  in 
at  the  bottom  of  the  crucible  where  it  was  essential  that 


86  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  furnace  should  be  hottest.  Some  of  the  bars,  called 
ringers,  were  ten  feet  long,  so  that  they  would  reach  the 
center  of  the  crucible.  They  were  driven  in  with  a  sledge, 
then  four  or  five  men  would  take  hold  of  the  end  of  the  bar 
and  work  it  round  and  round  and  get  a  lot  of  hot  fuel  out  of 
the  very  place  where  it  was  most  wanted.  Besides,  the  blast 
was  off  the  furnace  all  the  time  this  working  was  being  done. 

I  now  paid  close  attention  to  the  two  keepers  to  see  how 
they  worked  the  furnace  and  how  long  each  of  them  had 
the  blast  off.  I  soon  found  out  that  Collins  worked  the 
furnace  much  more  thoroughly,  driving  the  cold  bars  into 
the  furnace,  and  keeping  the  blast  off  longer.  While  this 
explained  the  matter  in  a  measure,  there  was  still  a  mystery 
why  the  Welshman  should  do  so  much  better  than  Collins 
on  the  night  turn,  both  in  make  and  in  quality.  The  inter- 
mediate time  for  working  the  furnace  on  the  night  turn  was 
between  twelve  and  one. 

I  next  directed  my  attention  to  the  night  turn  and  soon 
solved  the  mystery.  Mr.  Collins  worked  the  furnace  at 
midnight,  the  same  as  he  worked  it  in  the  daytime,  while 
the  Welshman  rarely  worked  the  furnace  at  all  in  the  night. 
This  at  once  solved  the  problem,  and  proved  that  the 
intermediate  working  was  not  only  useless,  but  was  detri- 
mental to  the  natural  working  of  the  furnace.  This  was 
an  important  discovery,  and  fully  confirmed  my  theory  that 
it  was  wrong  to  put]  cold  bars  in  the  crucible  and  work 
out  a  lot  of  good  hot  fuel  and  material  that  was,  practi- 
cally speaking,  on  the  verge  of  fluid  metal,  rilling  the  space 
with  crude  and  colder  material,  and  that  in  the  bottom  of 
the  crucible  below  the  tuyeres,  the  most  sensitive  part  of 
the  furnace.  Mr.  Collins  the  Manager,  his  brother,  the 
keeper,  and  myself  got  together  and  talked  the  whole  sub- 
ject over,  and  were  unanimous  in  the  conclusion  that  the 
frequent  working  of  a  furnace  was  deleterious. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  87 

It  had  already  been  shown  to  the  satisfaction  of  us  all 
that  the  intermediate  or  second  working  was  now,  beyond 
any  question,  injurious,  and  should  at  once  be  abandoned, 
but  the  question  of  the  first  working,  after  casting,  known 
amongst  furnace  men  as  cinder  raising,  was  not  so  easily 
disposed  of.  The  long  forehearth  was  filled  with  coal  dirt 
and  loam.  After  casting  and  after  the  blast  had  been  put 
on,  the  cinder  would,  in  the  course  of  an  hour  or  more,  come 
up  to  the  tuyeres.  The  blast  was  then  slackened,  the  plate 
heretofore  designated  was  taken  off,  the  coal  dirt  and  loam 
was  shoveled  out  up  to  the  tymp,  and  the  cinder  flowed  in 
and  filled  the  place  up  and  was  allowed  to  run  out  until 
it  was  level  with  the  tapping  hole  on  the  dam  plate.  Then 
the  cinder  was  covered  with  loam,  and  the  heavy  plate  was 
placed  in  position  again,  and  the  blast  put  on;  then  the 
cinder  was  tapped  as  often  as  it  came  up  to  the  tuyeres 
until  casting  time  came  around. 

It  was  now  arranged  that  at  the  next  cast  the  loam  and 
coal  dirt  should  be  shoveled  out  to  about  eight  inches  from 
the  tymp  and  the  space  be  filled  with  loam,  well  rammed 
down  up  to  that  point  and  a  narrower  plate  put  on,  and  that 
at  cinder  raising,  instead  of  opening  up  and  working  the 
furnace,  a  single  bar  should  be  driven  in  under  the  plate 
until  it  reached  the  cinder  and  then  be  withdrawn.  It  was 
supposed  that  the  cinder  would  flow  out  after  the  bar  was 
removed. 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Collins  was  on  hand  at  casting 
time  and  had  the  forehearth  filled  up  as  before  arranged, 
and  when  the  blast  was  put  on  he  said  to  the  furnace  men 
in  the  most  emphatic  manner  and  in  language  that  would 
not  be  becoming  to  a  church  member  that  if  any  man  put  a 
bar  into  the  furnace  other  than  in  tapping  for  cinder  he 
would  at  once  discharge  him.  We  now  had  an  anxious 
wait  of  an  hour  or  so  to  know  what  the  result  might  be;  we 


88  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

watched  the  tuyeres  with  much  interest  and  when  the 
cinder  began  to  bubble  there,  we  all  knew  that  the  crisis 
had  arrived,  and  all  went  to  the  front  to  see  the  result 
of  our  long,  anxious,  and  interesting  investigations.  The 
keeper  cut  a  small  gutter  in  the  loam  from  the  tymp  to  the 
dam  plate,  some  three  or  four  inches  in  depth,  in  order  to 
guide  the  cinder  to  the  notch  in  the  dam  plate.  The  place 
selected  to  drive  the  bar  for  cinder  was  some  four  inches 
below  the  tymp  and  about  twelve  inches  below  the  tuyeres. 
The  keeper  placed  the  bar  as  directed  by  Mr.  Collins  and 
it  was  driven  in  some  fifteen  inches  without  any  difficulty. 
When  the  bar  was  withdrawn  the  cinder  flowed  out  rather 
slowly  but  it  was  sufficient  to  guarantee  success,  as  we  well 
knew  that  the  next  flush  of  cinder  would  be  hotter.  It  was, 
and  the  result  was  entirely  satisfactory.  Taking  into  con- 
sideration the  condition  of  furnace  practice  at  that  time, 
this  was  a  marked  improvement,  making  in  all  respects 
a  closed  front.  Some  years  later  Mr.  Liirmann,  of  Ger- 
many, made  an  improvement  on  what  we  had  done  by 
the  introduction  of  the  water  cinder  notch,  patented  it, 
and  it  is  now  in  general  use. 

After  being  in  Mr.  Reeves'  employ  some  twelve  months, 
doing  all  that  I  was  called  upon  to  do  and  getting  the 
practical  furnace  experience  I  so  much  desired,  I  concluded, 
as  Mr.  Hooven  wanted  me  to  go  back  to  Norristown,  to  do 
so,  and  I  told  both  Mr.  Reeves  and  Mr.  Collins  of  my 
intention  to  leave  them  and  return  to  Mr.  Hooven  at  Norris- 
town. They  both  objected,  saying  they  did  not  want  me 
to  leave  them.  In  reply  I  said  to  them  that  the  furnace 
was  going  smoothly,  and  there  was  but  little  for  me  to  do, 
and  that  I  would  be  much  more  useful  to  Mr.  Hooven  than 
I  could  be  to  them,  and  besides  I  would  be  near  by  in  case 
they  had  any  trouble.  "  I  could  be  with  you,"  I  said,  "with- 
in an  hour's  time."  They  both  were  satisfied  with  this 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  89 

arrangement,  so  we  parted  in  the  most  pleasant  manner, 
and  I  confess  that  I  left  them  with  regret. 

I  did  business  with  four  generations  of  the  Reeves  family. 
My  first  employer  was  Mr.  David  Reeves;  the  next  genera- 
tion was  Samuel;  the  next  generation  was  David.  When 
I  was  recently  doing  some  work  in  Chester  County,  I 
wanted  some  beams  and  I  sent  over  to  Phcenixville  for 
them.  When  Mr.  David  Reeves  came  to  answer  my 
letter,  he  said  to  his  son  William,  "  You  attend  to  this 
matter  and  then  you  can  say  to  Mr.  Fritz  that  he  has  done 
business  with  four  generations  in  this  firm."  William 
mentioned  that  fact  to  me  and  said,  "  I  cannot  tell  you 
anything  about  the  fifth  generation;  I  am  twenty-six,  but 
I  have  not  yet  come  across  a  woman  that  pleases  me." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
CATASAUQUA. 

I  NOW  returned  to  Norristown  for  the  third  time,  but  not 
with  the  intention  of  remaining  there.  A  party  was  plan- 
ning to  build  a  nail  mill  and  wanted  me  to  build  it  for  them 
and  take  the  superintendency  of  it.  My  intention  was  to 
do  some  work  that  Mr.  Hooven  wanted  done  and  get  the 
mill  in  good  order,  then  take  hold  of  the  nail-mill  project. 
As  business  was  dull  at  that  time,  however,  the  project 
was  deferred  for  a  year. 

In  company  with  my  brother  George  and  two  brothers- 
in-law,  Mr.  B.  F.  Stroud  and  Mr.  Isaac  E.  Chandler,  who 
were  then  living  in  Catasauqua,  we  built  a  machine  shop 
and  foundry  there,  with  the  view  of  doing  work  for  blast 
furnaces  and  rolling  mills.  But  before  we  got  fairly 
started,  the  party  that  had  intended  building  the  nail  mill 
abandoned  the  project  altogether  on  account  of  the  dull- 
ness in  the  iron  business.  It  so  happened  that  Mr.  David 
Reeves,  whom  I  had  been  with  at  the  Safe  Harbor  Iron 
Works  and  the  Kunzie  Furnace,  had  become  interested 
in  the  Cambria  Iron  Works,  at  Johnstown,  Pennsylvania, 
and  wanted  me  to  go  there  as  General  Superintendent. 
He  asked  me  to  meet  him  at  his  office  in  Philadelphia,  which 
I  did,  and  it  was  arranged  that  I  should  go  to  Johnstown 
as  soon  as  I  could  get  away.  My  stay  in  Catasauqua  was 
not  only  brief,  but  somewhat  unprofitable.  I  made  some 
good  friends,  however,  whom  I  esteem  most  highly  at  the 
present  time. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
CAMBRIA. 

IN  June,  1854,  my  family  and  I  landed  in  Johnstown  at 
about  nine  o'clock  at  night.  It  was  a  dark  and  uninviting 
place.  Looking  down  the  Conemaugh  in  the  direction  of 
the  works,  the  only  light  that  could  be  seen  was  the  reflec- 
tion from  the  coke  ovens.  We  went  to  a  hotel  and  spent 
an  uneventful  night.  The  next  morning,  while  waiting  for 
breakfast,  I  went  out  to  see  how  the  town  looked  in  day- 
time, and  I  can  truly  say  it  was  the  most  unattractive  place 
I  had  ever  been  in.  The  streets  were  of  clay,  or  rather  of  a 
dark  loam,  and  organic  matter;  the  sidewalks,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, were  of  boards  or  plank,  and  in  a  great  part  of 
the  town  were  of  the  same  material  as  the  streets.  Cows, 
hogs,  and  dogs,  all  ran  at  large;  the  dogs  would  get  after 
the  pigs,  they  would  squeal,  the  cows  would  bawl,  the  dogs 
would  bark,  and  fight.  I  should  have  been  amused  if  I  had 
not  been  there  to  stay.  After  I  had  been  at  Johnstown  a 
short  time  I  met  Governor  Porter,  who  told  me  that  he  had 
recently  crossed  the  mountains  in  a  stage,  sitting  outside 
with  the  driver.  He  said,  "  In  looking  forward  I  saw  a 
number  of  houses.  I  asked  the  driver  what  place  we  were 
coming  to.  He  said  it  was  Johnstown.  When  we  came 
near  to  it  the  driver  said  it  was  a  darned  shame  to  spoil  such 
a  nice  piece  of  ground  to  build  such  a  town  on  it." 

I  next  went  down  to  the  coke  plant,  which  was  on  a  level 
with  the  tunnel  head  of  the  furnace,  some  eighty  feet  above 
the  valley  in  which  the  rolling  mill  and  shops  were  located. 
After  taking  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  plant,  I  went  to  the 

91 


Q2  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

mill  and  found  it  unfinished  and  not  at  all  to  my  liking,  but 
too  far  advanced  to  make  any  changes.  Consequently,  I 
concluded  to  complete  it  as  designed  and  as  early  as  possible, 
at  the  same  time  well  knowing  there  was  trouble  in  store 
for  us  when  we  came  to  start.  One  of  the  blast  furnaces 
had  been  in  operation  for  some  weeks  and  there  was  some 
pig  iron  in  the  metal  yard,  which  I  examined  and  found  to 
be  a  very  inferior  metal.  I  was  told  by  persons  who  knew 
something  about  the  reputation  of  the  metal  that  it  was  no 
good,  that  it  could  not  be  sold  or  given  away  in  Pittsburg, 
and  that  it  could  never  be  made  into  a  rail.  This,  in  con- 
nection with  my  own  opinion,  was  enough  to  chill  the  ardor 
of  a  veteran. 

In  starting  the  mill  we  made  the  pile  in  the  usual  way, 
and  when  it  went  into  the  rolls  it  split  in  two  pieces  and 
went  out  into  the  scrap  yard.  The  conclusion  was,  too 
much  heat.  We  tried  another  at  a  lower  temperature; 
result,  it  split  about  halfway.  We  then  turned  end  for 
end  and  passed  it  through  the  rolls,  which  closed  it  to- 
gether; sent  it  back  to  the  furnace  and  reheated  it,  and  then 
rolled  it  into  a  rail;  the  result  was,  flanges  on  both  sides  all 
torn  from  one  end  of  the  intended  rail  to  the  other.  The 
rolls  were  then  taken  to  the  lathe  and  altered,  put  in  place 
and  tried  again;  result  no  better.  Anticipating  trouble,  I 
had  a  set  of  new  rolls  quite  ready,  put  them  in  the  housing, 
and  tried  them;  some  improvement,  but  the  flanges  of  the 
rails  were  still  seriously  torn  and  the  head  of  the  rail  badly 
cracked  on  both  sides. 

It  was  now  evident  that  my  worst  fears  were  going  to  be 
fully  realized,  and  that  we  must  have  some  better  iron  and 
devise  some  plan  to  get  along  with  the  least  possible  quan- 
tity. It  was  now  that  my  Norristown  experience  proved 
helpful,  as  I  had  had  much  to  do  in  getting  up  the  piles  for 
the  various  classes  of  work.  This  required  different  qualities 


(03) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  95 

of  iron,  some  cold-short,  some  red-short,  and  some  neutral, 
the  neutral  being  the  most  desirable;  to  obtain  a  good 
quality  of  it  at  a  reasonable  cost  was  the  only  way  that  I 
could  think  of  to  get  over  the  difficulty. 

When  I  told  the  owners  of  the  trouble  and  that  we  must 
have  some  good  iron  to  help  us  out,  for  a  time  matters 
looked  serious.  They  had  been  told,  when  they  leased  the 
property,  that  they  could  make  pig  iron  for  about  six  dollars 
per  ton,  and  the  kind  of  iron  that  I  wanted  for  the  flanges 
and  heads  of  the  rails  had  to  be  of  a  much  superior  quality, 
but  after  being  told  how  small  a  quantity  I  thought  would 
help  us  out,  and  that  it  was  not  possible  to  make  rails  with- 
out some  better  iron,  they  concluded  to  get  it,  hoping  that 
later  we  could  get  along  with  a  less  quantity  of  the  superior 
iron.  In  this  view  of  the  situation  I  gave  them  no  encour- 
agement whatever,  well  knowing  it  would  only  be  waste  of 
time  as  well  as  of  money  to  make  any  further  attempts. 
Consequently,  I  let  the  mill  stand  until  we  got  the  better 
iron. 

When  the  good  iron  arrived  we  had  it  puddled  and 
started  up  the  rail  mill  to  try  the  experimental  pile.  So  far 
as  the  pile  was  concerned,  it  was  a  success  and  the  form  was 
never  changed  in  the  least.  A  sketch  of  the  pile  is  shown 
in  Figure  5  on  page  96,  and  this  method  was  used  as  long 
as  the  Cambria  Works  made  iron  rails.  On  some  orders  we 
used  what  was  called  second-bottom  iron,  as  shown  in 
Figure  6  on  page  96.  This  second-bottom  iron  was  rolled 
out  of  the  crop  ends  of  rails  into  bars  one  and  one-half 
inches  wide,  and  of  the  same  thickness  as  the  puddled  iron 
bars,  generally  about  rive-eighths  of  an  inch.  We  had  a  pile 
that  was  eminently  satisfactory  so  far  as  making  the  rail 
was  concerned,  if  rolled  on  edge.  How  well  the  rail  would 
wear  was  a  very  serious  problem  in  my  mind.  Nothing 
short  of  an  experiment  would  demonstrate  the  wearing 


96 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 


+-=- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  97 

qualities  of  such  a  rail,  and  at  that  time  it  would  have  taken 
too  long  to  make  the  test.  My  fear  was  that  the  rails  would 
split  under  the  load.  I  finally  made  up  my  mind  that  if 
the  piles  were  properly  heated  and  that  if  the  second-bottom 
iron  bars  in  the  rail  pile  were  in  contact  with  iron  on  its 
flat  with  a  good  heat,  no  trouble  would  occur.  This  in  the 
end  proved  correct,  but  my  anxiety  did  not  cease  until 
the  rails  were  tested  in  absolute  use. 

I  was  now  satisfied  that  with  a  very  small  quantity  of 
suitable  iron  for  the  flange  and  head  an  excellent  rail  could 
be  made  out  of  the  iron  produced  at  the  Cambria  furnaces, 
and  that  with  such  a  mill  as  could  be  constructed  the  com- 
pany would  be  a  great  commercial  success.  But  to  attempt 
to  run  the  mill  as  it  was  would  have  been  commercial  ruin. 

We  now  started  the  mill  again,  and  while  the  flanges  and 
heads  were  much  better,  the  splitting  was  worse  than  before, 
as  the  strong  iron  in  the  top  and  bottom  would  bear  more 
heat  than  the  puddled  iron  in  the  center  of  the  rail.  I  again 
tried,  with  no  success,  to  make  a  pig  iron  that  would  stand 
more  heat,  so  as  to  prevent  splitting,  but  having  only  one 
kind  of  ore  little  could  be  done.  I  then  had  the  rolls  taken 
to  the  roll  lathe  and  the  work  on  the  roughing  rolls  reduced. 
The  result  was  only  a  slight  improvement,  and  I  felt  that  I 
had  done  all  that  could  be  done  under  the  existing  conditions. 

I  had  now  fully  made  up  my  mind  that  there  was  but  one 
thing  to  do  and  that  was  to  build  practically  a  new  mill, 
making  it  three-high.  That  would  require  a  large  amount 
of  money,  which  was  hard  to  get  in  those  days.  The  only 
thing  that  could  then  be  done  was  to  start  up  and  do  the 
best  we  could.  As  before  stated,  the  reduction  of  work  on 
the  roughing  rolls  helped  slightly,  and  by  careful  heating 
we  could  get  some  work  out.  Consequently,  we  made  what 
we  called  a  final  start. 

In  the  meantime,  we  had  gotten  up  a  heavy  buggy  which 


98  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

we  used  as  a  battering  ram  and  when  the  pile  did  not  split 
open  too  much  we  would  use  the  buggy  to  force  the  piece 
into  the  rolls  so  as  to  save  the  time  and  labor  of  turning  the 
piece  end  about,  but  there  were  many  piles  that  in  the  first 
or  second  pass  would  split  or  that  would  get  too  cold  to 
roll  and  had  to  go  in  the  furnace  again.  All  this  caused 
much  delay,  and  the  amount  of  patching  of  flanges  that 
had  to  be  done  made  me  seasick,  but  the  greater  the  diffi- 
culty the  more  determined  I  was  to  fight  it  out,  as  I  could 
see  in  my  bed  at  night,  when  I  should  have  been  asleep, 
visions  of  a  three-high  rail  mill,  but  in  the  distance.  Yet 
I  had  faith  that  it  would  come,  and  I  was  certain  in  my  own 
mind  that  it  would  be  a  great  success,  and  that  Cambria 
was  destined  to  be  the  greatest  rail  plant  in  the  world. 
But  the  road  that  had  to  be  trodden  was  long,  hard,  rough, 
and  dreary,  and  besides  was  beset  with  great  danger.  But, 
to  use  a  lawyer's  phrase,  the  Cambria  Company  was  my 
client,  and  no  lawyer  ever  worked  harder  for  his  client  than 
I  did  for  mine,  both  mentally  and  physically.  I  knew  no 
hours  day  or  night,  except  time  to  eat,  and  but  little  to 
sleep,  and  that  irregularly. 

This  was  the  time  that  my  all-round  practical  experience, 
which  I  worked  so  hard  for  and  made  so  many  sacrifices  to 
obtain,  came  into  use,  and,  coupled  with  courage  and  a 
spirit  that  bears  it  company,  I  felt  able  to  meet  any  con- 
tingency that  might  arise.  I  did  not  have  long  to  wait  for 
an  opportunity  to  put  my  mental,  physical,  and  courageous 
qualities  all  to  test.  The  puddle-mill  engine  flywheel  was 
thirty  feet  in  diameter,  with  a  fourteen-inch-square  rim; 
the  segments  were  held  together  by  double-headed  T-bolts, 
which  had  been  put  so  close  to  the  end  of  the  segment  that 
the  metal  pulled  off  and  the  tees  and  the  end  of  a  segment 
went  across  the  mill.  Fortunately,  no  one  was  hurt. 

The  mill  was  stopped  at  once  and  made  safe.     The 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  99 

repairs  were  made  as  follows:  ten  inches  from  the  end  of 
each  segment  across  the^  face  of  the  wheel  grooves  were 
cut  in  each  end  of  the  segment,  two  and  one-half  inches  in 
width  and  of  the  same  depth.  There  being  sixteen  seg- 
ments in  the  wheel,  this  made  thirty-two  grooves.  Iron 
bands,  sixteen  in  number,  made  out  of  two  and  one-half 
by  three  inch  best  wrought  iron,  were  then  put  in  on  edge. 
These  bands,  or  rather  links,  had  to  be  made  in  a  common 
blacksmith's  fire  and  without  a  steam  hammer,  as  the 
steam  hammer  and  also  many  other  important  tools  were 
not  in  general  use  at  that  time.  The  grooves  in  the 
segments  had  all  to  be  cut  by  hand.  The  grooves  were 
first  roughed  out  with  a  two-handed  chisel  and  sledge 
and  then  finished  with  the  hammer  and  chisel.  This 
was  a  big  job  for  that  period,  and  I  can  assure  you  that 
I  got  but  little  sleep  during  the  time  this  work  was  on  hand. 
We  double-turned  the  work,  both  in  chipping  the  grooves 
and  making  the  links,  and  not  a  single  man  shirked  his  duty, 
but  each  did  all  he  could  to  get  the  job  done.  We  had 
neither  gas  nor  electricity  and  had  to  use  the  old  coffee-pot 
tin  oil  lamps  to  give  light. 

We  got  the  mill  all  in  operation  again  but  in  a  short  time 
the  rail-mill  flywheel,  which  was  built  in  the  same  manner 
as  the  flywheel  on  the  puddle-mill  engine,  was  considered 
unsafe  to  run  at  a  speed  that  was  absolutely  essential  for 
rail  making,  consequently  we  had  to  stop  and  fix  it.  This 
was  a  big,  tiresome,  and  expensive  job,  and  besides  it  kept 
the  rail  mill  standing  and  nothing  coming  in,  which,  under 
the  circumstances,  was  a  very  serious  matter.  Finally,  we 
got  in  operation  again  and  were  getting  along,  making  rails 
about  as  well  as  it  was  possible  to  do,  with  the  mill  as  it  was, 
and  with  the  smaller  mishaps  that  were  daily  occurring. 
These  were  not  serious  when  compared  with  what  we  had 
gone  through,  but  were  exceedingly  annoying,  keeping  the 


100  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

mill  idle  so  much  of  the  time,  when  the  company  was 
seriously  pressed  for  money,  and  making  it  impossible  to 
run  the  plant  with  economy;  but  I  kept  my  temper  as  near 
zero  as  possible,  and  remained  hopeful.  Anticipating  all 
shortcomings  as  far  as  possible,  and  being  ready  for  them 
when  they  did  occur,  was  the  only  thing  that  could  be  done, 
and  by  constant  vigilance  in  all  minor  details  and  by 
making  betterments  when  possible,  we  made  a  marked 
improvement  in  time  of  running,  increased  the  output  in 
a  greater  ratio,  greatly  reduced  the  cost  of  rails  per  ton, 
and  also  improved  the  quality. 

In  the  midst  of  all  my  troubles,  the  company  took  a 
contract  to  make  several  thousand  tons  of  rails  with  hollow 
heads.  It  was  impossible  to  make  them  out  of  their  own 
iron,  and  I  told  them  so  at  once.  In  reply,  Mr.  D.  J.  Morrell, 
the  business  manager,  told  me  that  hollow-headed  rails 
were  at  that  time  being  made  at  Wheeling  out  of  pig  iron 
that  was  made  at  Johnstown  of  the  same  ore  that  Cambria 
was  using.  I  said  it  was  not  possible  and  some  one  was 
not  telling  the  truth,  and  that  we  would  go  down  to  Wheel- 
ing at  once  and  see  for  ourselves  what  they  were  doing. 
We  arrived  at  Wheeling  in  the  evening.  After  supper, 
Mr.  Morrell  proposed  to  call  and  see  the  proprietor  of  the 
mill  where  the  rails  were  being  made.  I  said,  "  No,  we  will 
call  at  the  works  to-morrow  morning  at  about  daylight." 
This  we  did,  and  hunted  up  the  roller  and  found  him,  and 
he  and  I  at  once  recognized  each  other,  as  he  had  worked 
for  me  in  the  Norristown  Iron  Works.  After  a  few  casual 
remarks,  I  said  to  him,  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Morrell, 
"  How  are  you  getting  along  with  the  hollow-headed  rails?" 
He  said  they  had  been  having  terrible  trouble  with  them  in 
trying  to  make  them  out  of  Johnstown  iron  and  found  it 
utterly  impossible.  He  said  they  then  got  some  better 
pig  iron,  which  gave  fairly  good  results,  and  used  but  little 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  IOI 

of  the  Johnstown  iron.  I  asked  to  see  the  puddle  mill  and 
stockyard  and  saw  they  were  using  about  enough  of  Johns- 
town iron  to  say  it  was  a  part  of  the  mixture. 

At  about  eight  o'clock,  I  remember,  Mr.  Stephens,  the 
President  and  owner  of  the  Wheeling  plant,  and  the  in- 
ventor of  the  hollow-headed  rail,  came  into  the  works  and 
was  evidently  much  surprised  to  see  us  there.  I  told  him 
frankly  what  I  had  come  for  and  that  we  had  seen  all  we 
wanted,  and  that  they  were  using  but  little  of  the  Johns- 
town iron  in  their  mixture.  He  said,  "  You  are  mistaken 
about  that;  you  have  been  wrongly  informed."  I  said, 
"  No,  we  have  seen  the  mixture  in  the  furnaces  and  I  know 
the  Johnstown  iron  wherever  I  see  it." 

We  now  returned  home  and  I  was  feeling  somewhat 
better,  and  told  Mr.  Morrell  we  must  have  some  good  iron  to 
start  with  and  find  out  what  we  could  do,  that  I  thought  we 
could  use  considerable  of  our  own  make  of  pig  iron  and  that 
he  could  rest  assured  we  would  use  as  much  as  possible  of  it. 

I  learned  from  Mr.  Morrell  that  he  was  responsible  for 
making  the  contract  for  the  rails,  and  he  understood  from 
Mr.  Stephens  that  they  were  using  the  Johnstown  iron  to 
make  the  rails  out  of,  but  he  was  now  satisfied,  and  I  told 
him  I  would  do  the  best  I  could.  This  seemed  to  be  a 
great  relief  to  him.  When  we  got  well  under  way  in  making 
the  rails,  we  found  we  could  use  considerable  of  the  Johns- 
town iron  and  got  out  of  the  trouble  much  better  than  we 
first  thought. 

We  had  now  gotten  the  mill  generally  in  pretty  good 
shape,  and  running  about  as  well  as  could  be  expected,  and 
making  some  money,  when  an  event  occurred  which  was 
very  serious.  Previous  to  the  time  that  my  employers,  the 
lessees  of  the  mill,  took  the  property,  as  I  remember,  Mr. 
Simeon  Draper,  a  banker  of  New  York,  had  advanced 
money  for  a  certain  railroad  company  to  the  original 


102  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

Cambria  Iron  Company,  for  rails  to  be  made  for  them  as 
soon  as  the  mill  was  completed,  and  had  taken  a  mortgage 
on  the  property  to  secure  the  loan.  The  original  company 
having  failed  to  complete  the  plant,  the  railroad  company 
held  the  lessees  liable  for  the  fulfillment  of  the  rail  contract; 
and  here  appeared  the  United  States  Marshal,  looking  as 
gentle  as  a  preacher,  but  we  soon  found  him  as  firm  as  a 
judge.  Next  came  the  sheriffs  of  the  adjoining  three  coun- 
ties, where  the  Cambria  Iron  Company  held  property,  then 
came  the  constable  with  orders  to  attach  anything  that  was 
movable,  from  a  goat  to  a  locomotive.  We  were  now  up 
against  the  real  thing, —  want  of  money,  —  and  to  make 
rails  for  the  company  on  their  contract  without  money 
was  simply  impossible,  and  we  so  told  them. 

It  was  a  gloomy  day  for  Cambria.  The  workmen  were 
restless  and  threatened  to  quit  work,  which  I  thought  would 
help  me  in  a  proposition  I  had  in  mind  to  make.  In  com- 
pany with  the  United  States  Marshal,  there  was  a  gentleman 
whose  name  I  think  was  Mitchell.  He  proved  to  be  a  very 
clever  man,  and  was  to  remain  there  to  look  after  the 
interest  of  the  railroad  company,  while  their  rails  were 
being  made.  I  said  to  him,  "  There  is,  so  far  as  I  can  see, 
but  one  way  that  you  can  get  your  rails.  The  men  are 
dissatisfied  and  may  quit  work  at  any  moment,  and  as  soon 
as  we  commence  work  on  your  rails,  unless  there  is  some 
provision  made  that  will  insure  their  pay,  they  will  quit 
work,  and  I  understand  there  are  judgments  against  this 
property  that  can  be  foreclosed  at  any  time.  In  that  event 
you  will  never  get  a  rail  or  one  dollar  of  your  money.  If 
your  company  will  let  us  roll  some  rails  not  merely  for  you, 
but  for  other  people,  so  as  to  obtain  enough  money  to  pay 
the  laborers,  I  think  you  will  eventually  get  all  your  rails, 
and  I  will  promise  you  to  do  all  I  can  to  help  you  get  them." 
The  proposition  was  finally  accepted. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  103 

When  we  came  to  start  making  rails  the  workmen  de- 
manded that  the  rails  be  delivered  to  some  person  author- 
ized to  receive  them  and  be  held  by  him  until  they  were 
paid.  The  company  appointed  their  business  manager, 
but  the  men  would  not  accept  him,  and  asked  that  I  should 
be  appointed;  their  request  was  granted.  I  was  also  made 
the  agent  for  the  railroad  company,  and  every  evening  after 
the  day's  work  was  finished  I  received  the  rails,  first  to 
secure  the  pay  of  the  men,  and  secondly,  in  the  name  of  the 
railroad  company  to  see  that  it  got  them.  This  plan 
seemed  to  work  well  and  was  satisfactory  to  all  parties, 
and  the  sky  seemed  clearer  and  brighter  for  the  success  of 
the  works  than  I  had  ever  seen  it.  But  at  all  times  it  was 
on  the  verge  of  bankruptcy,  and  the  lessee  company,  tired 
of  being  harassed,  not  only  by  its  own  debts,  but  also  by 
the  obligations  of  the  parent  company,  concluded  it  must 
in  some  way  secure  more  capital.  This  at  that  time  was 
no  easy  matter,  especially  when  the  concern  was  in  such  a 
complicated  financial  position  as  Cambria  then  was. 

The  mill  was  shut  down,  and  I  was  ordered  to  Philadel- 
phia to  in  a  way  become  a  promotor,  a  new  business  for 
me,  and  I  had  to  do  some  talking  to  make  some  of  the  party 
I  met  believe  that  there  could  be  any  money  made  out  of 
the  works.  But  I  assured  them  the  Cambria  Works  could 
be  made  a  great  money-making  plant  if  put  in  proper  shape. 
All  this  time  the  three-high  mill  was  uppermost  in  my  mind, 
but  I  did  not  say  a  word  about  it,  fearing  it  might  provoke 
discussion;  this  I  did  not  want  at  this  time,  as  several  of  the 
party  were  in  rather  a  passive  frame  of  mind  and  I  thought 
it  wise  to  let  them  remain  so,  as  it  would  have  proved  fatal 
to  my  long-cherished  idea  to  have  the  subject  brought  up  in 
any  way  until  after  the  matter  now  in  hand  had  been 
settled.  I  was  sure  there  would  be  opposition,  and  my 
chance  for  success  would  be  much  better  then,  as  I  believed 


104  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  opposition  would  be  in  the  minority  but  could  not  well 
back  out.  For  several  days  but  little  was  done  beyond 
some  small  skirmishes  about  the  propriety  of  putting  more 
money  into  a  manufacturing  business  that  had  made  two 
failures  in  two  years.  This  seemed  to  be  the  knock- 
down argument,  and  the  fact  could  not  be  ignored. 

During  this  time  I  fortunately  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Mr.  Edward  Y.  Townsend  and  soon  gained  his  confidence. 
He  was  connected  with  the  mercantile  house  of  Wood, 
Bacon  &  Company,  one  of  Philadelphia's  best-known 
houses.  This  gave  him  a  standing  with  capitalists,  the  men 
that  were  wanted.  His  firm  looked  upon  the  project  with 
favor,  which  was  encouraging.  Then  came  up  the  question 
as  to  the  amount  of  money  that  would  be  wanted.  Here 
I  was  again  placed  in  a  vexatious  predicament,  being  called 
on  to  name  the  amount  required  for  the  mill,  well  knowing 
that,  if  the  three-high  mill  and  other  all-important  improve- 
ments that  really  should  be  made  were  named,  it  would 
surely  defeat  the  whole  scheme.  I  concluded  to  make  the 
amount  as  small  as  possible.  Some  of  the  party  were 
inclined  to  think  well  of  the  property. 

We  met  at  Mr.  Charles  Wood's  office  to  talk  over  some 
plan  of  organization,  and  see  what  amount  of  money  could 
be  raised  and  how  it  could  be  done.  They  had  previously 
decided  it  would  require  about  one  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  dollars,  that  this  amount  should  be  divided  into 
six  shares  of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  that  each  share  should 
have  one  representative  only,  but  without  limit  as  to  the 
number  of  persons  that  it  might  take  to  make  up  each  share, 
and  that  the  name  of  the  firm  should  be  Wood,  Morrell  & 
Company.  This  was  a  wise  arrangement  and  probably  at 
that  time  the  only  way  the  project  could  be  accomplished. 

The  six  representatives  of  the  shares,  who  were  all  the 
stockholders  that  were  known  to  outsiders,  were  the  busi- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  IO$ 

ness  managers.  As  I  recollect  they  were  Mr.  Charles  Wood, 
Mr.  David  Reeves,  Mr.  Matthew  Newkirk,  Mr.  Edward  Y. 
Townsend,  Mr.  Daniel  J.  Morrell,  and  Mr.  George  Trotter. 
All  of  them  were  successful  business  men  and  men  of  high 
standing  and  character. 

They  next  went  to  work  to  get  all  the  shares  fully  made 
up,  and  in  a  few  days  succeeded.  We  thought  everything 
was  completed  and  that  I  could  soon  take  the  good  news 
with  me  to  Johnstown,  and  I  was  planning  to  go  the  next 
day,  but  we  were  mistaken.  An  unexpected  trouble  about 
the  lease  turned  up,  and  for  several  days  the  atmosphere 
was  gloomy  and  it  seemed  as  if  all  our  labor  had  been  for 
naught.  This  condition  of  affairs  existed  for  several  days, 
but  on  the  last  day  of  grace  in  which  they  had  to  make  the 
lease,  they  got  all  the  six  holders  of  the  six  shares  together 
and  at  about  nine  or  ten  o'clock  at  night  they  agreed  to 
sign  the  lease,  but  Mr.  R.  D.  Wood,  who  was  largely  in- 
terested, despairing  of  their  agreeing  to  sign  it,  had  pre- 
viously gone  home  and  gone  to  bed,  and  so  the  others  had 
to  go  to  his  house,  where  all  were  in  bed,  call  them  up,  and 
get  Mr.  Wood  out  of  bed  to  approve  the  lease  before  twelve 
o'clock.  Otherwise,  as  I  now  remember,  the  property 
would  have  been  sold  the  next  day  by  the  sheriff. 

This  was  a  close  call  and  to  me  was  a  period  of  intense 
anxiety,  not  so  much  on  my  own  behalf,  as  in  the  interest 
and  welfare  of  some  three  or  four  thousand  men  whose 
existence  and  that  of  their  families  depended  upon  their 
daily  labor;  and  for  all  this  time,  nearly  two  weeks,  they 
had  been  idle.  How  those  men  with  large  families  managed 
to  get  along  is  more  than  I  can  tell,  but  they  were  sympa- 
thetic, generous,  and  would  share  the  last  bite  with  each 
other. 

The  next  morning  I  started  for  Johnstown  as  the  bearer 
of  glad  tidings.  The  morning  after  my  return,  I  met  the 


106  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP  JOHN  FRITZ 

workmen  and  told  them  what  had  taken  place  (all  of  which 
they  received  joyfully),  and  further  said,  by  way  of  en- 
couragement, that  I  did  not  see  what  could  happen  that 
would  prevent  the  works  from  starting  and  running  steadily, 
but  I  must  confess  that  in  the  face  of  so  many  setbacks  I 
at  times  had  some  misgivings,  fearing  something  unforeseen 
might  turn  up.  However,  I  told  the  men  to  get  their 
furnaces  ready  to  start  up  and  said,  "  We  must  all  work 
together  and  do  our  best  to  make  it  go.  If  we  do  this, 
success  is  assured. "  I  was  ordered  to  start  the  mill,  and 
the  workmen  and  the  citizens  of  the  town  were  all  happy. 
All  that  could  be  seen  from  the  Johnstown  end  was  of  good 
omen. 

But  after  I  had  left  Philadelphia  for  home  a  very  great 
difference  of  opinion  had  shown  itself  in  the  new  company 
in  regard  to  the  appointment  of  the  officials  in  Johnstown. 
This  resulted  in  the  appointing  of  two  General  Managers, 
one  General  Superintendent,  and  one  Assistant  Superin- 
tendent. The  last-named  official  was  not  needed.  Mr. 
D.  J.  Morrell  was  made  General  Manager  to  succeed 
Mr.  James,  then  the  General  Manager,  and  Mr.  Wyatt 
Miller  was  supposed  to  be  assistant  to  the  Superintendent, 
but  was  not  so  named.  I  was  again  placed  in  a  very 
embarrassing  position.  Mr.  James,  having  been  the  Gen- 
eral Manager  of  the  previous  company,  and  having  been 
requested  by  the  minority  stockholders  to  remain,  had  no 
disposition  to  resign.  The  result  was  that  for  some  weeks 
we  had  two  General  Managers.  Mr.  James  was  a  very 
clever  man,  to  whom  I  had  become  much  attached,  and  he 
was  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  David  Reeves,  who  was  a  good 
friend  of  mine.  I  had  been  in  Mr.  Reeves'  employ  for  some 
years,  and  was  sent  to  Cambria  by  him,  and  his  uniform 
kindness  placed  me  under  obligations  to  him,  but  the 
majority  of  the  firm  were  in  favor  of  Mr.  Morrell.  Con- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  107 

sequently,  I  decided  my  course  should  be  absolutely  neutral. 
The  majority  party  did  all  they  could  to  get  me  to  side  with 
them,  but  I  positively  refused  to  do  so;  in  an  unguarded 
moment,  however,  I  said  there  was  no  use  for  two  General 
Managers  or  an  Assistant  Superintendent.  This  was  true, 
but  it  was  not  said  to  be  used  by  them  to  get  Mr.  James  or 
Mr.  Miller  out.  This  they  did,  however,  much  to  my  sur- 
prise and  chagrin.  They  put  them  both  out,  and  it  natu- 
rally caused  a  coldness  on  Mr.  Reeves'  part  toward  me, 
which  I  greatly  regretted,  and  it  was  some  time  before  I  got 
an  opportunity  to  explain  the  matter  to  him.  Mr.  D.  J. 
Morrell  now  became  the  sole  General  Manager.  He  was 
a  very  clever  gentleman,  but  knew  nothing  about  the  iron 
business,  which,  to  say  the  least,  was  unfortunate.  Mr. 
Charles  Wood  was  made  the  head  of  the  firm  and  Mr. 
Edward  Y.  Townsend  his  assistant. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
CAMBRIA.—Contmued :  THE  THREE-HIGH  RAIL  MILL. 

AFTER  the  new  organization  was  completed  and  the 
officials  got  well  in  their  places  and  all  was  working  smoothly 
so  far  as  they  were  concerned,  the  change  in  the  official 
organization  of  the  company  did  not  remove  or  lessen  the 
troubles  in  the  manufacturing  department,  or  increase  the 
output,  both  of  which  items  were  absolutely  essential  to 
insure  success.  To  continue  to  run  the  mill  as  it  was,  I 
could  see  nothing  ahead  but  a  most  disastrous  failure.  Hav- 
ing previously  given  the  whole  subject  my  most  thought- 
ful consideration,  even  to  its  most  minute  detail,  I  was 
prepared  to  submit  my  plans  and  recommendations  to  the 
new  company.  My  proposal  was  to  build  a  new  train  of 
rolls,  three  high,  and  twenty  inches  in  diameter.  This 
involved  a  new  engine  that  would  run  with  safety  one 
hundred  revolutions  per  minute,  and  it  practically  meant  an 
entirely  new  mill.  To  this  proposition  they  demurred,  say- 
ing that  it  could  not  be  done,  as  the  expense  was  too  great; 
besides,  the  mill  they  had  was  entirely  new  and  was  supposed 
to  be  the  best  mill  in  the  country,  and  they  were  at  loss  to 
see  why  good  rails  could  not  be  made  on  it.  After  some 
time  and  a  great  amount  of  earnest  talk,  I  succeeded  in 
convincing  some  of  the  representative  stockholders  that  it 
was  absolutely  necessary  to  make  some  changes  and  im- 
provements, and  that,  if  my  suggestions  were  adopted, 
success  was  sure. 

At  the  next  meeting  the  subject  was  taken  up  with  a  full 
board,  and,  as  I  was  informed  afterwards,  the  matter  was 

108 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  109 

fully  discussed,  and  it  was  decided  to  build  an  eighteen- 
inch  two-high  train,  geared,  to  replace  the  train  we  had, 
and  I  was  ordered  to  go  ahead  at  once  with  it.  This  was 
to  me  a  very  severe  setback,  as  I  supposed  I  had  Mr. 
Townsend  converted  to  the  three-high  direct-driven  mill. 
To  this  order  I  replied  most  emphatically  that  I  would  not 
build  the  geared  mill,  as  it  would  be  money  thrown  away 
and  time  lost.  In  reply  to  my  refusal  to  build  the  mill  as 
ordered,  they  said  my  position  was  high-handed  and  most 
arbitrary  and  one  I  had  no  right  to  assume,  as  I  was  in  their 
employ  on  a  salary  for  the  purpose  of  managing  their  works 
and  had  no  right  to  dictate  to  them  what  they  should  do. 
I  in  a  measure  assented  to  this,  at  the  same  time  telling 
them  that  if  they  persisted  in  running  their  works  on  the 
lines  they  had  laid  down  for  me,  there  would  be  a  humiliat- 
ing funeral,  and  I  did  not  want  to  remain  to  attend  it, 
especially  as  one  of  the  mourners.  In  a  few  days  after 
receiving  my  reply,  they  gave  me  permission  to  build  the 
mill  as  I  wanted  it,  but  suggested  that  I  make  the  roll 
eighteen  inches  in  diameter  instead  of  twenty.  I  consented, 
as  a  compromise,  —  a  great  mistake,  —  and  commenced  at 
once  to  build  the  mill,  and  make  other  important  im- 
provements. 

About  the  time  the  patterns  for  the  new  train  and  also  for 
the  engine  were  completed,  a  protest  was  received  at  the 
works  in  the  form  of  a  legal  document  from  the  minority 
partners  notifying  the  managing  directors  that  they  would 
hold  them  personally  responsible  for  the  building  of  the  new 
mill.  This  was  a  most  unexpected  setback,  and  all  the 
work  on  the  new  mill  was  suspended  for  a  time,  and  the 
directors  made  another  effort  to  get  me  to  change  my  plans 
and  build  the  old  two-high  geared  mill,  which  the  company 
had  previously  so  earnestly  urged  me  to  do.  I  told  them  I 
was  tired  out  trying  to  make  rails  on  the  old  mill.  They 


110  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

suggested  that  I  could  make  a  better  mill  two-high  that 
would  give  less  trouble,  and  consequently  do  more  work. 
I  admitted  that  it  could  be  done,  but  the  advantage  to  be 
gained  would  not  warrant  the  expenditure,  and  the  only 
thing  that  could  possibly  be  done  to  make  the  enterprise 
a  success  was  to  build  the  three-high  mill. 

The  next  Sunday  morning  Mr.  Townsend  came  to  the 
mill,  where  he  found  me  in  the  midst  of  the  regular  Sunday 
repairs.  After  I  was  pretty  well  through  with  them  he 
took  me  aside  and  showed  me  the  protest.  My  hands  being 
greasy,  I  asked  him  to  read  it  to  me,  which  he  did.  After 
all  these  years  have  passed,  there  is  no  person  other  than 
myself  who  can  fully  appreciate  the  trying  position  the 
managers  were  placed  in.  On  the  one  hand,  I  was  urging 
them  to  build  a  mill,  on  an  untried  plan,  as  a  strong  minority 
called  it,  this  minority  also  legally  notifying  the  managers 
that  they  would  hold  them  personally  responsible  for  the 
result.  On  the  other  hand,  I  was  absolutely  refusing  to 
build  the  mill  they  wanted,  and  besides  all  this,  they  ridi- 
culed the  idea  of  adopting  a  new  and  untried  method  that 
was  against  all  practice  in  this  and  the  old  country,  from 
which  at  that  time  we  obtained  our  most  experienced  iron 
workers.  Moreover,  the  prominent  iron  makers  in  all  parts 
of  the  country  had  said  to  Mr.  Morrell  that  the  whole  thing 
was  a  wild  experiment  and  was  sure  to  end  in  a  failure,  and 
that  young,  determined,  cracked-brained  Fritz  would  ruin 
him.  The  heaters  and  rollers  all  opposed  the  three-high 
mill  and  appointed  a  committee  to  see  the  managers  and 
say  to  them  that  the  three-high  mill  would  never  work,  and 
that  they,  themselves,  would  suffer  by  reason  of  its  adoption, 
but  that  if  the  managers  would  put  in  a  two-high  geared 
train,  which  they  said  was  the  proper  thing  to  do,  the  mill 
would  go  all  right. 

As  I  now  look  back  to  that  eventful  Sunday  morning, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  HI 

many  long  years  ago,  sitting  on  a  pile  of  discarded  rails, 
with  evidences  of  failure  on  every  side,  Mr.  Townsend  and 
myself  quietly  and  seriously  talking  over  the  history  of  the 
past,  the  difficulties  of  the  present,  and  the  uncertainties 
of  the  future,  I  cannot  but  feel,  in  view  of  what  since  has 
come  to  pass,  that  it  was  not  only  a  critical  epoch  in  the 
history  of  the  Cambria  Company,  but  that  as  well  the 
future  well-being  of  my  life  was  in  the  balance.  For,  as 
Mr.  Townsend  was  about  to  leave,  after  a  full  discussion 
of  the  Cambria  Iron  Company's  condition  at  that  time,  he 
turned  to  me  and  said:  "  Fritz,  go  ahead  and  build  the  mill 
as  you  want  it."  I  asked,  "  Do  you  say  that  officially?" 
to  which  he  replied:  "  I  will  make  it  official,"  and  he  did  so; 
and  here  I  wish  to  say  that  to  no  other  person  so  deservedly 
belongs  the  credit,  not  only  of  the  introduction  of  the  three- 
high-roll  train  but  also  of  the  wonderful  prosperity  that  came 
to  the  Cambria  Company,  as  it  does  to  Mr.  Edward  Y. 
Townsend,  then  its  Vice-President. 

Notwithstanding  I  now  had  the  consent  of  the  com- 
pany to  go  on  with  my  plan  for  the  new  mill,  many  of  my 
warmest  friends,  some  of  whom  were  practical  ironmen, 
came  to  me  and  urged  me  not  to  try  such  an  experiment. 
They  said  I  had  taken  a  wrong  position  in  refusing  to  build 
the  kind  of  mill  the  company  wanted.  "  By  so  doing," 
they  said,  "  you  have  assumed  the  entire  responsibility, 
and  in  all  probability  the  mill  that  you  are  going  to  build 
will  prove  a  failure,  and  being  a  young  man  your  reputation 
will  be  ruined  for  life."  To  this  I  replied  that  possibly  they 
were  right,  but  that  I  had  given  the  subject  the  most  careful 
consideration  and  was  willing  to  take  my  chances  on  the 
result. 

The  work  was  now  pushed  as  fast  as  possible.  In  the 
construction  of  the  rail  train  I  made  a  radical  departure 
from  the  old  practice,  which  was  to  place  breaking  pieces 


112  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

at  dangerous  points  in  the  train;  these  pieces  were  expected 
to  give  way  under  certain  strains  so  as  to  save  the  roll  from 
breaking.  One  of  the  previous  methods  was  to  make  the 
coupling  boxes  and  spindles  light,  so  that  they  would  break 
when  any  extra  strain  came  on  them;  and  the  leading 
spindle  had  a  groove  cut  around  it  to  weaken  it,  so  that  it 
would  be  sure  to  break  before  the  rolls.  The  result  was 
the  constant  breaking  of  some  of  these  safety  devices.  In 
addition  to  all  these  devices,  there  was  what  was  called  a 
special  breaking  box  on  top  of  the  rolls  which  held  the  rolls 
in  place.  This  was  made  hollow  so  as  to  crush  if  the  strain 
on  the  rolls  became  too  great.  I  directed  the  pattern 
maker  to  make  this  box  solid.  The  mill  manager,  seeing 
the  pattern  was  solid,  went  to  the  pattern  maker  to  have  it 
changed  and  made  hollow,  as  he  supposed  it  had  been  made 
solid  through  a  mistake.  The  pattern  maker  refused  to 
alter  the  pattern,  saying  the  old  man  (as  they  called  me 
over  fifty  years  ago)  had  ordered  it  to  be  made  that  way. 
"  Well,"  said  the  manager,  "  the  old  man  has  gone  crazy; 
and  if  that  box  is  put  in  as  it  is,  the  mill  will  be  smashed  to 
pieces,  and  I  am  going  to  see  him  about  it."  This  he  did, 
and  I  told  him  the  box  was  going  in  solid,  as  I  would  rather 
have  a  grand  old  smash-up  once  in  a  while  than  be  constantly 
annoyed  by  the  breaking  of  leading  spindles,  couplings, 
and  breaking  boxes,  to  which  he  replied:  "  By  God,  you'll 
get  it." 

When  it  became  known  that  I  had  abandoned  all  safety 
devices  another  violent  storm  arose,  and  it  was  of  such  a 
character  as  to  much  annoy  Mr.  Morrell.  He  was  a  very 
clever  gentleman,  without  experience  in  the  manufacturing 
end  of  the  business,  and,  being  known  as  the  General  Mana- 
ger of  the  plant,  he  was  naturally  worried.  This,  of  course, 
gave  me  much  trouble,  to  keep  him  in  line,  as  every  person 
he  would  meet  that  knew  anything  about  the  business  would 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  113 

tell  him  of  the  great  failure  that  was  in  store  for  the  Cambria 
Iron  Works.  Some  one  told  Mr.  Wood,  the  President  of 
the  company,  all  about  what  was  going  to  take  place  when 
the  mill  was  started.  I  was  told  afterwards  that  he  listened 
attentively  to  what  they  had  to  say,  and  then  said  to  titfm: 
"  Mr.  Fritz  has  done  many  clever  things  for  us  that  w  ere 
said  would  never  work,  but  always  did,  and  I  shaL  *aot 
interfere  with  him  or  his  plans." 

The  next  and  last  person  to  talk  to  me  on  the  subject  was 
Mr.  James  Hooven,  proprietor  of  the  Norristown  Iron 
Works,  one  of  my  dearest  friends,  with  whom  I  had  spent 
several  of  the  happiest  years  of  my  life.  He  came  to  pay 
me  a  visit  and  to  learn  for  himself  what  I  was  doing.  He 
remained  with  me  for  several  days  and  we  talked  the  whole 
subject  over,  and,  like  the  rest  of  my  friends,  he  thought  I 
was  assuming  an  unwarrantable  risk.  "  If  this  is  a  failure," 
he  said,  "  your  reputation  is  ruined  for  life.  Have  you 
thought  this  over?"  I  told  him,  "  I  have,  and  it  is  my 
rule  not  to  make  a  move  in  any  new  thing  until  I  have 
thought  it  over,  not  only  as  a  whole,  but  also  in  all  of  its 
details,  and  I  assure  you  this  is  no  exception,  and  I  now  feel 
that  success  is  assured."  While  he  was  with  me  I  took 
him  into  the  mill  so  that  he  could  better  understand  why 
the  change  was  so  important.  He  at  once  saw  that  great 
results  could  be  gained  if  the  plan  could  be  successfully 
carried  out,  but  he  could  not  see  his  way  clear  to  indorse  it, 
and  thought  I  had  attempted  to  do  too  much,  all  at  one 
time,  and  thought  it  very  dangerous  to  do  away  with  all 
safety  devices,  as  they  at  times  might  prevent  serious 
accidents.  To  this  I  replied  that  the  only  possible  good 
such  safety  devices  could  do  was  the  saving  of  a  roll,  and 
that  it  was  very  rarely  that  any  roll  was  broken,  except  the 
finishing  roll;  if  the  collars  were  as  deep  and  fitted  as  closely 
as  they  should  do  to  insure  good  work,  and  the  safety 


114  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

device,  or  breaking  box,  as  it  was  generally  called,  should 
crush,  one  end  of  the  roll  would  go  up  and  it  was  more  than 
likely  that  some  of  the  collars  would  be  broken  and  the  roll 
rendered  useless.  The  loss  by  delay,  caused  by  the  break- 
age^ ^f  the  safety  devices,  was  not  only  annoying,  but 
wa<b  xpensive.  The  train  had  to  stop;  all  hands  in  that 
end  df  the  mill  were  idle,  heating  furnaces  damped  up,  coal 
and  iron  wasted  in  the  furnaces.  Add  to  this  the  loss  in 
production  and  it  became  a  matter  of  much  importance, 
not  only  to  the  proprietors,  but  also  to  the  workmen. 

The  train  was  now  practically  completed,  with  all  break- 
ing devices  abandoned.  The  old  mill  was  stopped  on  the 
evening  of  the  3rd  of  July,  1857,  and  after  the  4th  I  com- 
menced to  tear  the  old  mill  out,  and  get  ready  to  put 
the  new  one  in,  and  also  to  put  the  new  engine  in  place  at 
the  same  time.  Everything  in  the  rail  department  was 
remodeled  and  the  floor  line  raised  two  feet.  On  the  2Qth 
of  the  same  month  everything  was  completed  and  the  mill 
was  ready  to  start.  I  need  not  tell  you  that  it  was  an 
extremely  anxious  time  for  me,  nor  need  I  add  that  no 
engraved  cards  of  invitation  were  sent  out,  that  not  being 
the  custom  in  the  early  days  of  iron  making;  had  it  been,  it 
would  not  have  been  observed  on  that  occasion. 

As  the  heaters  to  a  man  were  opposed  to  the  new  kind 
of  mill,  we  did  not  want  them  about  at  the  start.  We 
secured  one,  however,  out  of  the  lot,  who  was  the  most 
reasonable  one  amongst  them,  to  heat  the  piles  for  us.  We 
had  kept  the  furnace  smoking  for  several  days  as  a  blind. 
At  last,  everything  being  ready,  we  charged  six  piles.  At 
about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  first  pile  was  drawn, 
and  it  went  through  the  rolls  without  the  least  hitch  of  any 
kind,  making  a  perfect  rail.  You  can  judge  what  my 
feelings  were  as  I  looked  upon  that  perfect  and  first  rail 
ever  made  on  a  three-high  mill,  and  you  may  know  in  part 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  115 

how  grateful  I  felt  toward  the  few  faithful  and  anxious  men 
who  were  about  me  and  who  stood  by  me  during  all  my 
trials  and  difficulties,  among  whom  were  Alexander  Hamil- 
ton, the  Superintendent  of  the  mill,  Thomas  Lapsley,  who 
had  charge  of  the  rail  department,  William  Canam,  and  my 
brother,  George. 

We  next  proceeded  to  roll  the  other  five  piles.  When 
two  more  perfect  rails  were  rolled  we  were  obliged  to  stop 
the  engine,  as  the  men  were  all  so  intently  watching  the 
rolls  that  the  engine  had  been  neglected,  and,  being  new, 
the  eccentric  had  heated  and  bent  the  eccentric  rod  so  that 
the  engine  could  no  longer  be  worked.  As  it  would  have 
taken  some  time  to  straighten  the  rod  and  reset  the  valves, 
the  remaining  piles  were  drawn  out  of  the  furnace  onto  the 
mill  floor.  About  this  time  the  heaters,  hearing  the  exhaust 
of  the  engine,  came  into  the  mill  in  a  body,  and  from  the 
opposite  end  to  where  the  rails  were.  Seeing  the  unrolled 
piles  lying  on  the  mill  floor,  they  took  it  for  granted  that 
the  new  train  was  a  failure,  and  their  remarks  about  it  were 
far  from  being  in  the  least  complimentary.  Mr.  Hamilton, 
coming  along  about  that  time  and  hearing  what  they  were 
saying  about  the  mill,  turned  around,  and  in  language  more 
forcible  than  polite  told  the  heaters,  who  were  Welsh,  that 
if  they  would  go  down  to  the  other  end  of  the  mill  they 
would  see  three  handsomer  rails  than  had  ever  been  made 
in  Wales,  where  the  greater  part  of  the  rails  used  in  this 
country  at  that  time  came  from,  as  well  as  the  heaters  who 
were  so  bitterly  opposed  to  the  three-high  mill. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

CAMBRIA.— Continued : 
FIRE  AND  RECONSTRUCTION. 

THE  next  day  being  Friday,  the  regular  day  turn  was 
put  on  in  the  morning,  and  in  the  evening  the  regular  night 
turn  was  put  to  work,  and  all  went  well  up  to  Saturday 
noon.  It  was  the  custom  to  stop  rolling  at  about  twelve 
o'clock  on  Saturday.  Mr.  Hamilton  and  I  left  the  mill  at 
about  six  o'clock,  and  on  our  way  home  we  congratulated 
each  other  that  our  long  line  of  troubles  and  disappoint- 
ments was  now  over,  and  that  we  should  have  more  time 
to  give  to  changes  and  improvements  that  were  so  essential 
in  other  departments  of  the  works. 

About  an  hour  later  I  heard  the  fire-alarm  whistle  blow, 
and,  rushing  back  to  the  mill,  I  found  it  one  mass  of  flames 
from  one  end  to  the  other,  and  saw  at  once  that  it  was  ab- 
solutely useless  to  attempt  to  save  any  part  of  the  mill  or 
anything  in  it.  The  shops  were  all  close  to  the  mill  build- 
ing, the  end  of  the  machine  shop  being  within  twenty-five 
feet  of  the  end  of  the  mill.  It  being  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance to  save  the  shops,  all  our  energy  was  centered  on 
them,  but  all  hands  seemed  paralyzed  for  a  time,  thinking 
it  useless  to  attempt  to  save  the  shops,  as  all  of  them  were 
frame,  with  wood  shingles  for  roofs,  and  all  of  them  — 
pattern  shop,  foundry,  and  machine  shop  —  were  regular 
fire  traps  and  all  huddled  together.  It  looked  useless  to 
try  to  save  them.  The  company  had  a  large  boarding 
house  near  by.  I  ordered  some  of  our  best  men  to  go  there 
and  get  all  the  carpets  and  blankets  they  could  find  and  take 

116 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  117 

men  enough  to  have  them  all  brought  up  at  once.  I 
directed  another  party  to  get  the  ladders,  fire  hose,  buckets, 
ropes,  and  hooks.  As  soon  as  the  blankets  and  carpets 
came,  the  blankets  were  wet  and  the  best  men  wrapped 
themselves  in  them,  and  ladders  were  gotten  ready.  For- 
tunately the  roof  on  the  end  of  the  shop  next  to  the  mill 
was  low  and  quite  flat,  so  the  men  could  walk  on  it  readily. 
In  a  few  minutes  the  roof  was  covered  with  carpets  and 
blankets  and  two  streams  of  water  were  playing  on  them. 
By  the  time  the  men  got  down  off  the  roof  the  steam  was 
rising  off  the  carpets  and  it  was  so  hot  that  we  were  fearful 
that  the  shop  would  share  the  fate  of  the  mill.  The  crucial 
time  would  be  when  the  mill  building  fell,  and  it  was  im- 
portant which  way  it  fell.  If  it  fell  in,  the  shops  would  be 
safe;  if  out,  then  another  hard  fight  was  before  us.  The 
next  few  moments  were  of  intense  strain  and  excitement. 
But,  if  the  walls  fell  out,  we  were  prepared,  as  we  had  hooks, 
chains,  and  ropes  ready,  to  pull  the  falling  and  unburned 
timbers  away.  I  had  instructed  the  foreman  in  each  de- 
partment to  have  his  men  all  organized,  and  go  to  the 
foundry,  get  all  the  chains  there  were  there,  and  ropes, 
hooks,  etc.,  so  that  they  could  fasten  to  the  charred  and  un- 
burned timbers  and  pull  them  away  from  the  engines  and 
all  important  machines.  I  directed  all  to  be  at  their  places 
the  moment  the  building  fell,  free  the  machinery  from  heat 
as  quickly  as  possible,  and  see  there  was  no  water  put  on 
the  machinery.  Fortunately  our  suspense  was  of  short 
duration.  In  less  than  one  hour  from  the  time  the  fire 
started,  the  whole  building  was  lying  on  the  ground,  a  mass 
of  ruin.  When  the  building  fell,  it  all  fell  inward,  to  our 
great  relief. 

The  situation  of  Cambria  affairs  on  that  Saturday  night 
was  such  as  might  appall  the  bravest  heart.  The  result 
of  our  unremitting  labors  and  anxieties  lay  there,  a  mass 


Il8  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

of  black  and  smoking  ruins,  and  the  money  that  had  been 
so  hard  to  get,  with  which  the  new  mill  was  built,  was  gone. 
The  prospect  was  gloomy,  but  there  was  a  gleam  of  light 
amid  all  the  darkness,  and  that  the  pile  of  new  and  perfect 
rails  which  Mr.  Hamilton  had  said  had  never  been  beaten 
by  Wales,  from  which  country  most  of  the  rails  used  at 
that  time  came.  Above  all,  the  mill  had  been  tried  and 
was  a  most  magnificent  success,  and  it  was  these  two  facts 
that  cheered  us  up  and  renewed  our  courage  with  a  deter- 
mination to  rebuild  the  mill. 

The  following  day,  Sunday,  was  devoted  to  rest  and 
thinking  over  the  situation;  at  any  rate,  it  was  not  spent 
in  the  mill.  During  Sunday  the  workmen  met  and  agreed 
to  give  the  company  one  day's  work  on  Monday,  to  help 
clear  the  rubbish  away.  I  told  them  all  to  be  cheerful  and 
said  that  the  works  would  surely  be  rebuilt  and  as  quickly 
as  possible.  They  all,  to  a  man,  went  to  work,  and  I  never 
saw  a  set  of  men  work  harder.  By  Monday  night  the  mill 
was  clear  of  all  rubbish  and  on  Tuesday  morning  we  com- 
menced to  get  in  shape  to  start  up  again. 

On  Monday  morning  we  sent  a  number  of  axemen  to  cut 
poles  or  timbers,  say  about  twenty  feet  long  and  eight  or 
ten  inches  in  diameter  at  the  butt  or  large  end,  and  we  also 
sent  teams  to  haul  the  logs  into  the  works.  On  Tuesday 
morning,  carpenters  went  to  work  to  frame  them  together, 
and  the  men  raised  them  and  braced  them  in  place  to  carry 
the  steam  pipe  and  feed-water  pipe  for  the  boilers.  The 
larger  and  upper  pipe  was  the  steam  pipe,  about  ten  inches 
in  diameter;  the  smaller  and  lower  was  the  feed  pipe  for  the 
boilers,  four  inches  in  diameter.  The  trestles  were  placed 
about  twenty  feet  apart  the  whole  length  of  the  mill,  —  six 
hundred  feet,  —  and  were  erected  the  same  way  in  the 
transepts,  which  were  two  hundred  feet  long  each,  making 
the  total  length  of  ten-inch  steam  pipe  about  one  thousand 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  119 

feet,  and  the  same  length  of  four-inch  water  pipe,  all  of  cast 
iron,  and  cross  pipe  leading  from  the  main  steam  and  water 
pipes  to  the  boilers,  made  of  four-inch  wrought  iron  and 
copper.  The  old  cast-iron  steam  and  water  pipes  were 
almost  totally  destroyed.  Where  the  pipes  were  not  broken 
in  two,  the  branches  on  them  for  the  boiler  connections  were 
broken,  and  the  cross  steam  and  water  pipes,  which  were 
made  of  wrought  iron  with  copper  turns  for  expansion, 
were  so  bent  and  twisted  that  many  of  them  could  not  be 
used.  Shafting,  pulleys,  and  all  light  machinery  were  badly 
injured.  The  engines  were  all  more  or  less  damaged.  The 
roll  bearings,  being  soft  metal,  were  generally  melted  out, 
and  the  rolls  all  had  to  be  taken  out  and  new  metal  put  in. 

The  outlook  was  most  discouraging.  The  mill  workmen 
were  in  sore  distress,  having  been  told  by  some  persons  that 
it  would  take  a  year  at  least  to  get  the  mill  ready  to  run 
again.  They  came  to  me  to  know  what  they  should  do,  as 
they  could  not  live  without  work  until  the  mill  would  start 
up  again.  I  at  once  assured  them  that  we  would  make  rails 
inside  of  thirty  days,  and  that  we  would  give  them  all  the 
laboring  work  we  could  during  that  time.  This  cheered 
them  up  very  much.  In  twenty-eight  days  from  the  time 
of  the  fire  we  were  running  the  mill  on  full  time,  but 
without  a  building;  we  put  up  a  temporary  frame  to  carry 
the  hooks,  and  the  workmen  were  covered  temporarily  with 
boards  throughout  the  mill. 

The  building  that  had  just  burned  down  was  of  wood, 
and  I  suggested  that  we  rebuild  with  brick.  This  was 
vehemently  opposed  by  some  of  the  stockholders,  but,  there 
being  a  brickyard  with  good  clay  at  the  door  of  the  mill, 
I  at  once  made  a  contract  with  the  men  who  had  charge 
of  the  yard  for  all  the  brick  that  it  would  take  to  put  up 
the  building  at  $2.62^  per  thousand.  The  building,  whose 
total  length,  including  transepts,  was  over  one  thousand 


120  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

feet  and  width  one  hundred  feet,  was  put  up  and  ventilator 
completed  and  under  roof  with  slate  by  January  i,  1858. 
At  that  time  it  was  the  finest  rolling-mill  building  in  the 
world,  and  I  think  it  was  the  best  building  ever  put  up  in 
this  country  at  the  same  cost.  It  was  put  up  and  roofed 
while  every  man  was  at  work  and  the  mill  working  up  to  its 
full  capacity,  and  not  a  single  person  hurt.  This  was 
something  that  I  was  always  proud  of,  but  I  never  left  the 
building  while  the  trusses  were  being  put  in  place.  They 
could  not  be  put  together  on  the  ground  and  raised  as  a 
body  on  account  of  the  pipes  and  machinery  and  the  hot 
iron  that  was  constantly  in  motion  on  the  mill  floor;  conse- 
quently they  had  to  be  put  together  in  place  over  the  heads 
of  the  workmen,  while  they  were  all  at  work.  This  was 
a  most  difficult  task,  requiring  extreme  care;  consequently 
I  was  on  the  building  while  every  member  of  every  truss 
was  being  raised  and  put  in  place.  This  was  the  most 
trying  ordeal  that  I  ever  had,  not  that  there  was  any  serious 
practical  difficulty  in  doing  the  work  in  the  manner  we  were 
doing  it,  but  it  was  the  danger  that  the  men  both  above  and 
below  were  constantly  exposed  to  that  rendered  it  so  haz- 
ardous. The  falling  of  a  member  of  the  truss,  or  a  bolt,  nut, 
wrench,  or  tool  of  any  kind,  striking  a  man  on  the  head, 
would  cause  instant  death,  and  no  person  but  myself  knew 
what  a  load  was  off  my  mind  when  the  last  truss  was  in  place 
and  I  came  down  off  the  building  for  the  last  time,  late  in 
December,  1857,  and  could  say  that  the  building  was 
practically  completed  and  not  a  single  person  had  in  any 
way  been  hurt,  so  as  to  disable  him  even  temporarily. 
This  was  a  source  of  gratification  that  well  rewarded  me 
for  the  intense  anxiety  I  had  been  laboring  under  from  the 
commencement  to  the  finish  of  the  erection  of  the  building. 
During  all  the  time  we  were  erecting  the  new  building, 
the  mill  was  working  nicely  and  doing  good  work,  which, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  121 

under  the  circumstances,  was  also  a  source  of  untold 
satisfaction. 

Previous  to  starting  the  three-high  mill  we  had  com- 
menced to  increase  the  output  of  puddled  iron,  as  the  new 
mill  was  capable  of  doing  over  four  times  the  amount  of 
work  the  old  one  could  do.  It  was  most  important  to  take 
up  this  end  of  the  work,  which  had,  in  a  measure,  been 
necessarily  neglected.  The  puddling  furnaces  were  origi- 
nally all  single,  but  we  had  already  changed  some  of  them  to 
double.  We  now  put  on  all  the  force  we  could  and  changed 
all  the  furnaces  to  double  and  built  some  new  ones.  Thk 
greatly  increased  the  output.  In  order  to  roll  the  increased 
quantity  of  puddled  iron,  we  had  to  build  a  new  top /and 
bottom  mill,  and  at  the  end  of  the  same  we  put  in  a  set  of 
rolls  for  flattening  old  rails  so  as  to  pile  them  in  with  the 
puddled  iron  in  the  rail  pile.  Up  to  this  time  the  tops  and 
bottoms  for  the  rail  pile  had  been  rolled  on  the  puddle 
train.  By  removing  the  rolls  to  the  new  train  we  had  place 
for  another  set  of  puddle  rolls.  We  also  had  to  put  in 
a  Burden  squeezer,  as  the  Winslow  squeezer  originally 
installed  could  not  take  care  of  the  increased  quantity 
of  puddled  iron  that  was  being  made. 

Up  to  this  time,  in  order  to  make  smooth  heads  and 
flanges,  we  were  compelled  to  use  two  pieces  of  top  and 
bottom  with  head  on  flange,  an  expensive  method  of 
manufacture.  This  led  to  the  building  of  a  sixteen-inch 
train  to  roll  bars  one  and  a  half  inches  wide  by  five-eighths 
of  an  inch  in  thickness.  In  the  middle  of  the  pile  next  to 
top  and  bottom  was  placed  a  puddled  bar  five  inches  in 
width  and  five-eighths  of  an  inch  thick;  on  each  side  of  this 
was  placed  a  piece  one  and  one-half  inches  wide  by  five- 
eighths  of  an  inch  thick.  These  bars  were  generally  rolled 
out  of  old  rails,  thereby  saving  a  large  amount  of  reworked 
iron,  and  on  the  same  sixteen-inch  train  was  rolled  all  the 


122  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

bar  iron  that  was  used  about  the  works.  We  also  built  two 
heating  furnaces  for  this  mill.  From  the  first,  the  plant 
was  short  of  steam.  The  boilers  were  plain  cylinder,  under- 
fired,  but  as  fast  as  the  puddling  and  heating  furnaces  were 
changed  and  new  ones  built,  boilers  were  put  over  them. 
At  length  we  had  all  the  steam  that  was  wanted.  The 
puddling  furnaces,  Burden  squeezer,  and  puddle  rolls,  the 
top  and  bottom  furnaces,  and  rolls  were  all  working  well, 
also  the  heating  furnaces  for  the  rail  mill,  and  the  new  three- 
high  rail  mill  worked  most  magnificently.  All  this  made  a 
better  and  more  perfect  rail  and  made  cold-patching  a  thing 
of  the  past.  We  put  in  new  hot  beds  and  curving  plates, 
substituted  the  straightening  machine  for  the  sixty-pound 
old-time  sledge,  greatly  improved  the  punching  machines, 
and  by  the  introduction  of  the  driven  rollers  on  the  rolls 
the  mill  could  turn  out  four  times  as  much  work  as  could 
possibly  have  been  done  on  the  old  mill  and  with  less  than 
half  the  labor  and  no  wear  and  tear  of  muscle. 

Having  gotten  all  the  furnaces  of  both  kinds  and  all  the 
rolls  and  machinery  in  the  mill  in  good  shape,  we  next  took 
hold  of  the  handling  of  the  puddled  and  top  and  bottom  iron 
to  see  what  improvements  could  be  made  in  that  line.  Up 
to  that  time  the  puddled  and  top  and  bottom  iron,  especially 
the  puddled  bar,  had  been  dragged  from  the  rolls,  out  on 
the  bank,  as  it  was  called,  and  when  cold  taken  to  the  cold 
shears,  cut  to  length,  and  taken  on  a  wheelbarrow  to  the 
heating  furnaces  and  there  piled.  This  made  it  impossible 
to  keep  the  space  about  the  furnaces  clean  and  tidy,  and 
the  place  was  at  all  times  cluttered  up  with  puddled  and  top 
and  bottom  iron  of  various  lengths  which  could  not  be  used 
in  the  pile.  To  remedy  this,  we  placed  a  pair  of  shears  in 
front  of  each  set  of  rolls,  both  puddled  and  top  and  bottom, 
and  in  an  iron  frame  of  proper  length  we  placed  rollers 
opposite  to  each  shear.  As  the  iron  came  from  the  rolls  it 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  123 

was  fed  into  the  shears  and  cut  to  proper  length  for  the 
piles.  The  iron  was  neatly  laid  at  the  shears,  a  two-horned 
buggy  was  put  under  it,  and  the  bars  were  taken  to  the  bed 
and  let  cool;  then  the  same  kind  of  buggy  was  used  to  take 
it  to  a  place  arranged  for  piling  it.  The  iron  was  not 
touched  by  hand  from  the  time  the  pig  iron  was  charged 
into  the  puddling  furnace  until  it  came  to  the  piler.  This 
arrangement  greatly  lessened  the  cost  and  made  the  work 
much  lighter  for  the  men.  We  put  rail  tracks  from  the 
place  of  piling  to  each  heating  furnace  and  had  cars  made 
that  would  hold  one  heat  of  piles,  and  the  iron  was  piled 
on  the  car  and  taken  to  the  furnace  as  wanted.  This  ar- 
rangement worked  admirably,  and  the  mill  looked  like  a 
parlor  as  compared  with  the  other  rolling  mills  of  that  day. 
In  regard  to  the  blast  furnaces,  they  were  old-fashioned, 
and  short  of  blast  and  water.  We  did  not  have  sufficient 
water  on  the  coke  yard  to  properly  extinguish  the  fire  in  the 
coke  as  it  was  drawn  from  the  oven.  The  first  and  most 
important  thing  was  more  blowing  capacity.  As  the  fur- 
naces were  located  on  an  abrupt  rise  in  the  ground,  it  made 
it  very  expensive  to  get  a  place  for  more  blowing  engines  on 
account  of  the  excavation  that  would  have  to  be  made  to 
receive  them,  and,  having  already  used  so  much  money  in 
making  improvements  in  the  mill  department,  I  did  not 
want  to  spend  any  money  on  the  blast  furnaces  that  was 
not  absolutely  essential.  In  carefully  looking  over  the 
blowing-engine  room,  I  concluded  that  I  could  design  a 
short-stroke  quick-running  [upright  engine  that  would  give 
all  the  blast  needed,  and  would  go  in,  one  in  each  corner  in 
the  rear  of  the  present  engines,  and  save  a  great  amount 
of  expense.  The  engines  were  built  by  Matthews  &  Moore, 
of  the  Bush  Hill  Iron  Works,  Philadelphia,  and  they  worked 
quite  satisfactorily.  While  this  engine  was  designed  for  a 
special  plant  and  purpose,  the  design  was  adopted  and  used 


124  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

for  a  long  time  in  Western  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio.  We 
also  put  in  a  new  pump  to  get  more  water  for  the  tuyeres. 
As  water  was  very  hard  to  get,  we  had  to  collect  the  tuyere 
water  and  pump  it  up  to  the  coke  ovens,  to  be  used  in  putting 
the  fire  out  of  the  coke  as  it  was  drawn  out  of  the  ovens. 
After  these  improvements  were  put  in  things  went  along 
much  more  comfortably  about  the  furnaces  and  coke  ovens 
than  they  had  been  doing  for  some  time  previous. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
CAMBRIA.  —  Continued :  RETROSPECT. 

IT  was  in  1854  that  I  went  to  Johnstown.  Previous  to 
this  but  little  had  been  done  west  of  the  mountains  in 
making  iron  in  the  blast  furnace  with  mineral  coal.  I 
think  there  was  not  a  blast  furnace  in  Pittsburg  at  that 
time.  Mr.  Benjamin  Perry,  who  was  referred  to  in  Chap- 
ter XII,  as  having  been  at  Kunzie  Furnace,  and  who  prob- 
ably ranked  next  to  Father  Thomas  as  a  pioneer  in  the 
anthracite  region,  had  charge  of  the  Cambria  furnaces 
when  I  went  there,  but  they  were  not  in  blast.  He  was  an 
unlearned  man,  was  said  by  almost  every  person  there  to 
be  very  troublesome  and  one  I  would  have  to  get  rid  of  if 
I  wished  to  keep  peace  in  the  family.  I  told  everyone  I 
came  there  to  manage  the  Cambria  Works  and  not  to  send 
men  away  if  they  did  their  duty.  I  found  Mr.  Perry  to  be 
a  good  furnace  man,  but  like  many  other  uneducated  men 
he  wanted  to  be  handled  without  his  knowing  it.  This  I 
did  most  successfully,  and  he  remained  in  charge  of  the 
furnaces  over  two  years,  and  left  of  his  own  accord  to  take 
another  position  where  he  thought  he  could  do  better,  and 
I  was  sorry  to  see  him  go  away.  He  was  a  man,  unfortu- 
nately for  himself,  who  would  not  brook  contradiction. 
Mr.  John  Griffin,  one  of  the  best-learned  iron  men  of  that 
day,  was  once  on  a  friendly  visit  to  see  me,  and  having 
heard  much  of  Mr.  Perry  wished  to  meet  him.  Conse- 
quently I  invited  Mr.  Perry  to  my  house  in  the  evening. 
Soon  after  being  introduced  they  began  talking  on  the 

subject  of  iron  making.    Mr.  Griffin  asked  him  about  the 

125 


126  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

coal  we  were  using  for  making  coke,  to  which  Mr.  Perry 
replied  that  it  was  bad,  being  full  of  brass.  Mr.  Griffin 
said,  "  Mr.  Perry,  you  mean  iron  pyrites."  "  Well,"  said 
Mr.  Perry,  "  you  may  call  it  what  you  damned  please,  but 
I  tell  you  it  is  brass,"  and  the  manner  in  which  he  spoke 
was  so  emphatic  that  Mr.  Griffin  wisely  concluded  not  to 
pursue  that  branch  of  the  subject  any  further.  Yet  Mr. 
Perry  was  one  of  the  best  practical  furnace  men  that  I 
knew  at  that  time. 

After  all  that  has  been  said  of  the  conditions  of  the 
Cambria  Iron  Company  when  I  went  there  and  what  I 
went  through,  I  feel  that  I  have  come  far  short  of  showing 
the  real  condition  of  affairs  as  they  then  existed.  The 
works  were  divided  into  a  number  of  small  principalities, 
each  of  them  being  governed  by  a  despotic  foreman  who 
would  neither  go  out  of  his  kingdom  to  do  any  work  nor  let 
anyone  else  come  in.  I  soon  found  out  that  arrangement 
would  not  do,  but  I  thought  it  best  to  bide  my  time  until 
a  good  opportunity  should  occur  to  correct  the  evil.  One 
day,  soon  after  the  blast  furnaces  were  put  in  blast,  the 
iron  broke  out.  The  day  was  hot  and  the  men  soon  gave 
out,  and  Mr.  Perry  sent  word  to  me  of  what  had  happened, 
asking  for  some  extra  help.  There  being  trouble  in  the 
mill,  I  could  not  well  get  away  at  once,  so  I  sent  word  to  the 
coke-yard  foreman  to  send  Mr.  Perry  some  help,  and  said 
I  would  be  up  as  soon  as  I  could  get  the  trouble  in  the  mill 
all  straightened  out. 

In  the  course  of  an  hour  I  went  up  to  the  furnaces  and 
found  Mr.  Perry  and  his  men  all  quite  used  up,  and  saw  that 
no  extra  help  had  come  to  his  aid.  I  asked  Mr.  Perry  if 
he  had  sent  my  message  as  directed  to  the  foreman  of  the 
coke  yard.  He  replied  that  he  had  done  so.  I  then  sent 
word  direct  to  the  foreman  that  I  wanted  to  see  him  at  the 
furnace  at  once,  to  which  he  promptly  responded  in  person. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  127 

I  asked  him  why  he  had  not  sent  the  help  to  Mr.  Perry  as 
I  had  requested  him  to  do.  He  at  once  said  that  his  busi- 
ness was  to  look  after  the  laborers  on  the  coke  yard,  and  he 
did  not  intend  to  do  anything  else,  and  that  he  was  em- 
ployed by  the  President  of  the  company  and  not  by  me. 
In  reply  I  said  to  him  that  from  that  time  on  I  intended  to 
manage  the  works  and  not  the  President.  He  then  said, 
"  You  can  have  my  resignation  at  once."  I  replied,  "  What 
I  want  you  to  do  is  to  send  Mr.  Perry  at  once  half  a  dozen 
good  men,  and  to  think  over  the  subject  of  your  resignation 
until  to-morrow  morning,  and  then  come  and  see  me." 
When  he  came  the  next  day  I  said  to  him,  "  You  seemed  a 
bit  hasty  yesterday,  but  now  you  seem  to  be  in  a  good 
humor,  and  I  want  to  have  a  talk  with  you,  which  I  hope 
will  answer  for  all  the  foremen  around  the  works.  It  was 
true  what  you  said  yesterday.  You  were  hired  by  the 
President,  but  I  want  you  and  all  the  foremen  about  the 
works  to  know  that  I  was  sent  here  to  manage  these  works, 
and  from  this  time  on  I  intend  to  do  it.  And  I  further  wish 
to  say  to  you  and  to  all  the  persons  in  the  employ  of  the 
company  whose  services  are  needed  that  you  will  be  re- 
tained as  long  as  you  do  your  duty  to  the  company,  and 
that  while  I  fully  expect  the  foremen  to  faithfully  discharge 
the  duty  assigned  to  each  of  them,  I  want  you  to  assist  each 
other  when  in  trouble,  as  far  as  possible,  without  detriment 
to  your  assigned  duties ;  and  I  want  you  to  bear  in  mind  that 
you  are  all  in  the  employ  of  the  Cambria  Iron  Company, 
and  it  is  your  bounden  duty  to  look  to  its  best  interests." 
After  this  talk  the  gentleman  withdrew  his  resignation  and 
apologized  for  what  he  had  done  the  day  before.  From 
this  time  forward  there  was  no  further  trouble,  and  no  set 
of  men  could  have  worked  more  faithfully  for  the  best 
interest  of  the  company  than  they  did,  and  it  was  a  source 
of  much  consolation  to  me  when  in  trouble  to  know  that 


128  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

all  the  foremen  were  loyal  and  working  in  harmony  with 
each  other. 

The  mechanics  I  had  to  rely  on  to  do  the  work  in  the  shop 
and  mill  had  never  before  done  any  mill  work,  and  but  few 
of  them  had  ever  been  inside  of  a  rolling  mill,  and  for  a  time 
I  had  an  uphill  business.  Fortunately  I  had  had  a  severe 
schooling  in  that  line  and  was  able  at  all  times  to  properly 
direct  the  beginners.  As  they  were  desirous  to  learn  and 
energetic,  they  soon  proved  themselves  equal  to  the  emer- 
gency, and  by  the  time  we  had  the  new  mill  in  operation 
and  the  whole  mill  in  good  shape,  the  Cambria  Works  had 
the  best  set  of  men  about  them  in  the  country.  In  proof 
of  this  I  can  point  with  pride  to  the  number  of  men  that 
have  gained  prominent  positions  in  other  works.  The 
training  they  received  at  Cambria  was  such  as  to  well 
qualify  them  to  fill  any  position  they  might  assume.  The 
men  would  frequently  say  that  all  the  passport  they  wanted 
was  to  say  they  had  worked  in  the  Cambria  Iron  Works. 

I  feel  as  though  I  could  not  commend  too  highly  the  brave, 
energetic,  and  loyal  men  who  so  faithfully  stood  by  me  in 
times  of  sore  disaster,  and  were  it  not  that  it  might  prove 
invidious  I  should  like  to  call  many  of  them  by  name. 
How  little  the  young  men  who  are  connected  with  the 
immense  iron  and  steel  plants  of  to-day  know  of  the  diffi- 
culties the  old-time  ironmen  had  to  encounter!  A  drill 
press,  cast  off  the  pattern  of  the  fixed  head  of  a  sixteen-inch 
lathe,  bolted  to  a  ten-  or  twelve-inch  post  upright,  with 
blocks  of  timber  for  the  table,  a  small  lathe  or  two,  the 
crudest  kind  of  a  machine  for  turning  rolls,  a  few  small 
tools,  the  greatly  respected  chipping  hammer,  cold  chisel, 
and  file,  about  completed  the  list  of  tools,  but  in  the  hands 
of  skillful  and  energetic  mechanics  there  was  but  little  they 
could  not  do.  It  seems  ridiculous  to  compare  the  facilities 
and  mode  of  doing  work  of  fifty  odd  years  ago  with  those 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  I2Q 

of  to-day,  with  ponderous  tools  and  massive  cranes.  To- 
day the  casting  is  taken  from  the  foundry  to  the  machine 
shop,  the  heaviest  housing  that  is  made  is  lifted  and  placed 
on  a  large,  heavy,  powerful,  and  ingeniously  planned  tool, 
is  set,  placed  on  the  planer,  which  has  a  slotter  combined, 
planed  on  the  inside,  the  recess  that  contains  the  bearing 
for  the  roll-neck  slotted  out,  the  base  slotted  off,  the  hole 
for  the  screw  bored  out  to  receive  the  nut  which  contains 
the  screw,  the  casting  taken  from  the  planer  to  the  mill  and 
placed  on  a  shoe  or  bedplate,  which  is  cast  in  one  piece,  the 
whole  length  of  the  bedplate  planed  off  from  end  to  end, 
so  that  the  housing  can  be  placed  at  will  anywhere  to  suit 
the  space  for  the  length  of  the  rolls.  The  fixings  that  go 
into  the  housings  that  secure  the  rolls  in  place  are  all  planed 
to  a  templet,  so  that  they  will  go  in  place  easily  and  all 
at  one  setting  and  on  one  tool.  There  need  not  be  a  chisel 
or  file  mark  on  the  whole  job.  After  the  shoes  are  in  place 
the  housings  and  fittings  are  put  in  position  without  either 
line  or  level,  and  the  train  cannot  get  out  of  line.  The 
whole  of  the  work  is  placed  in  position  by  an  electric  travel- 
ing crane  which  commands  the  length  of  the  train.  Yet, 
after  all,  the  old-time  machinists,  with  their  hammer,  chisel, 
and  file,  and  with  their  experience,  are  still  in  demand, 
and  on  the  best  class  of  work,  and  they  are  at  all  times  the 
men  for  emergencies,  —  a  class  of  workmen  that  are  known 
as  all-round  men,  who  will  acquit  themselves  with  credit 
in  any  position  you  may  place  them. 

As  before  stated,  after  the  introduction  of  the  three-high 
rail  mill  at  the  Cambria  Works,  and  the  improvements 
pertaining  thereto,  and  the  change  of  the  manner  of  fitting 
up  the  mill,  which  was  superior  to  anything  that  had  been 
done  up  to  that  time,  it  became  necessary  to  substitute 
machinists  in  place  of  the  millwright  and  the  forge  carpen- 
ter, who,  up  to  that  time,  had  been  doing  the  fitting  up  of 


130  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  machinery.  The  mills,  practically  speaking,  were  all 
geared,  and  all  the  trains  of  rolls  were  driven  by  one  engine 
of  long  stroke,  consequently  slow-running,  the  power  being 
transmitted  from  the  engine  to  the  rolls  through  gear  wheels, 
with  the  diameter  so  arranged  as  to  give  the  roll  trains  the 
proper  number  of  revolutions  per  minute,  the  engine 
practically  running  at  a  given  speed  all  the  time.  The 
shafts  at  that  time  were  of  cast  iron  and  the  space  on  the 
shaft  occupied  by  the  wheel  was  increased  in  size.  The 
shafts  were  generally  hexagonal,  but  sometimes  were  cast 
square  and  the  wheel  was  secured  in  its  position  by  hard- 
wood keys  about  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in 
thickness.  After  the  wheel  was  set  true  and  the  space 
between  the  wheel  and  the  shaft  all  driven  full  of  hard  wood, 
wedges  of  thin  steel  were  driven  in  the  wood  on  both  sides 
of  the  wheel.  While  this  was  not  at  all  mechanical,  yet 
if  the  wood  was  hard  and  dry,  and  if  the  work  was  well  done, 
they  gave  but  little  trouble.  The  housings  that  contained 
the  rolls  were  used  just  as  they  came  out  of  the  sand. 
Practically  no  work  was  done  on  them  at  all,  except  to  chip 
the  bumps  or  swells  off  the  casting.  The  housings  rested 
on  a  narrow  shoe  that  was  bolted  to  a  large  timber  placed 
on  the  top  of  the  foundation;  the  plate  had  lugs  cast  on  it 
corresponding  to  the  size  of  the  base  of  the  housing;  the 
lugs  were  dovetailed  and  the  base  of  the  housing  was  made 
with  the  same  angles  as  the  lugs  on  the  shoe.  The  housing 
was  set  in  this  shoe  and  bolted  fast.  Another  and  a  much 
better  plan  was  at  times  used.  This  was  to  make  a  casting 
with  two  shoes  combined  in  it,  the  shoes  forming  part  of 
the  casting  and  being  placed  the  proper  distance  apart  so  as 
to  conform  to  the  length  of  the  roll.  This  was  a  great 
improvement  over  the  two  separate  shoes. 

When  I  built  the  Cambria  mill,  we  got  the  shoes  made 
the  whole  length  of  the  train.     They  were  made  by  James 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  131 

Moore  of  the  Bush  Hill  Iron  Works  and  were  a  great 
improvement  over  the  old  style.  The  shoes  were  planed 
the  whole  length  of  the  train  and  as  a  result  the  housings 
could  be  placed  at  any  point  and  at  any  distance  apart. 

I  have  described  the  plan  of  fitting  up  the  mills  somewhat 
fully  in  reference  to  the  Cambria  works.  This  has  been  done 
in  order  to  show  the  importance  of  substituting  machinists 
for  millwrights;  in  fact,  the  machinist  of  that  day  who  was 
good  with  the  hammer,  chisel,  and  file  was  a  more  important 
person  about  the  works  than  he  is  at  this  time.  Then  all 
the  work  that  was  done  on  a  rolling-mill  housing  was  done 
by  the  machinist  by  hand. 

It  is  not  possible  for  a  mechanical  engineer  of  to-day, 
who  is  well  posted  in  the  use  of  our  modern  tools,  electric 
traveling  cranes,  and  all  the  general  facilities  that  are  in 
use  at  this  time  for  doing  work  promptly  and  correctly 
(with  money  galore),  and  with  electric  light,  so  that  work 
can  be  done  by  night  as  correctly  as  in  the  day,  to  realize 
the  condition  of  affairs  at  the  time  the  changes  and  improve- 
ments were  made  at  the  Cambria  Iron  Works  .over  fifty 
years  ago,  practically  speaking  without  tools.  For  all 
parts  of  the  work  that  could  not  be  done  with  chisel, 
hammer,  and  file,  special  makeshift  tools  had  to  be  designed 
and  gotten  up  to  suit  the  occasion.  This  required  much 
time,  money,  and  inventive  talent  of  a  high  order.  Energy, 
determination,  and  patience  of  a  staying  quality  were  the 
great  requisites  for  doing  work  under  the  then  existing 
conditions.  We  had  no  crane  for  handling  or  erecting  the 
work,  and  had  to  build  a  kind  of  portable  derrick  which 
could  be  moved  from  place  to  place,  as  it  was  wanted,  by 
either  horses,  mules,  or  men,  but  generally  the  last.  It 
proved  to  be  a  most  efficient  machine  as  a  makeshift  for  a 
crane.  It  did  all  the  erecting  and  changing  of  rolls.  It 
was  so  essential  and  so  powerful  that  the  men  named  it 


132  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

Uncle  Sam.  We  had  no  electric  light  to  work  by  at  night, 
or  even  gas  when  we  commenced.  All  the  light  we  had  was 
made  by  the  use  of  lamps  filled  with  smoky  rosin  oil,  as  it 
was  called. 

We  had  no  money,  and  at  that  time  the  iron  men  were 
looked  upon  as  paupers.  The  banks  would  not  loan  them 
any  money  as  long  as  they  could  get  what  they  called  first- 
class  commercial  paper,  and  at  that  time  money  was  not  in 
abundance,  as  it  is  to-day;  consequently  the  iron  men  got 
but  little,  and  that  little  only  for  a  short  time,  the  bankers 
fearing  they  would  fail,  as  in  the  early  days  of  rail  making 
they  were  very  likely  to  do.  At  the  time  when  we  were  in 
the  midst  of  our  improvements  at  Cambria,  a  banker  to 
whom  the  company  owed  twenty  thousand  dollars  came 
into  the  rolling  mill  and  asked  me  what  we  were  doing.  I 
told  him  we  were  making  some  changes  and  improvements. 
His  reply  was  that  any  man  that  would  destroy  property 
and  spend  money  as  we  were  doing  was  a  fool  or  a  madman. 
I  told  him  that  I  was  doing  it  and  it  had  never  occurred 
to  me  that  I  was  either.  He  took  the  train  that  night  for 
Philadelphia,  and  the  next  morning  called  at  the  company's 
office  and  demanded  his  money  in  such  an  emphatic  manner 
that  they  had  to  pay  him  that  day.  I  might  mention  many 
instances  showing  the  distrust  of  the  bankers  toward  the 
iron  men,  and  also  what  they  said  about  myself  and  about 
what  I  was  doing.  But  suffice  to  say  that  I  passed  through 
a  merciless  fire  of  vindictive  ridicule  to  victory,  with  sim- 
plicity and  becoming  dignity,  doubtless  to  the  disgust  of 
some  of  the  wiseacres  who  had  made  some  direful  pre- 
dictions. 

We  started  to  put  on  two  feed  rollers  at  Cambria,  one  on 
the  front  and  one  on  the  rear  of  the  train.  The  workmen 
all  said,  "  They  are  no  good."  In  spite  of  the  prophecies 
of  the  workmen,  we  put  them  on  and  they  worked  satis- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  133 

factorily,  but  in  about  a  week  or  so  the  belt  (which  had 
been  used  temporarily)  broke.  I  came  through  and  found 
the  mill  standing  idle.  I  said,  "What  is  the  matter?" 
They  said,  "  The  belt  on  the  feed  roller  is  broken."  Turn- 
ing to  the  heater,  I  then  said,  "  George,  is  it  time  to  roll?  " 
He  said,  "  Yes."  I  said,  "  Go  ahead.  I  am  going  to  make 
the  mill  work  a  little  without  the  feed  rollers."  The  work 
was  so  much  lighter  after  the  installation  of  the  feed  rollers 
that  the  men  who  had  a  week  or  so  before  opposed  them 
now  thought  it  was  impossible  to  run  the  mill  without  them. 

There  was  so  much  objection  coming  from  the  workmen 
to  anything  that  was  new  that  I  once  told  them  if  I  got  up 
anything  new  and  they  all  said  it  was  all  right,  I  should 
look  over  my  drawings  again,  thinking  there  must  be  some 
mistake. 

Notwithstanding  the  many  invidious  attacks  we  were 
subjected  to  for  what  we  were  doing,  every  rail  mill  in  the 
country  had  at  once  to  adopt  the  three-high  system,  and 
in  changing  the  mills  made  them  stronger  and  better  fitted 
up.  Mr.  Frank  Jones,  of  Pittsburg,  (B.  F.  Jones,  of  the 
firm  of  Jones  &  Laughlin),  the  leading,  most  practical,  and 
successful  iron  man  in  the  country,  and  one  of  the  first  to 
see  the  advantages  of  the  system,  said  to  me,  some  years 
after  its  introduction,  that  the  three-high  mill  was  the  com- 
mencement of  the  great  improvement  that  took  place  in 
the  iron  works  after  1857,  paving  the  way  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  phenomenal  Bessemer  process. 

In  July,  1860,  after  upwards  of  six  years  of  as  earnest  and 
faithful  hard  work  as  few,  if  any,  men  ever  had  to  endure, 
and  without  any  vacation,  I  made  up  my  mind  that  the 
time  had  come  to  sever  my  connection  with  the  Cambria 
Company,  a  decision  which  in  many  respects  caused  me 
deep  regret.  In  taking  a  retrospective  view  of  the  condi- 
tion of  things  as  I  found  them,  and  also  of  the  trials  and 


134  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

difficulties  which  had  been  encountered  and  in  the  face  of 
dire  predictions  of  the  soothsayers,  and  others  who  were 
equally  ignorant,  but  should  have  been  better  informed, 
and  of  the  condition  that  the  plant  was  in  at  that  time,  I 
congratulated  myself  in  having  accomplished  a  great  work, 
under  the  most  difficult  conditions,  in  building  for  the 
Cambria  Iron  Company  a  rail  mill  far  in  advance  of  any 
mill  existing  at  the  time,  and  a  great  commercial  success. 
As  Frank  Jones  once  said  to  me:  "  Cambria  was  the  cradle 
in  which  the  great  improvements  in  rolling-mill  practice 
were  rocked,"  which  revolutionized  the  rail  mills,  making 
a  better  rail,  doing  away  with  all  patching,  and  increasing 
the  production  fourfold;  and  out  of  the  two  small  driven 
rollers  came  the  present  system  of  handling  the  work  in 
mills,  by  the  use  of  live  rollers,  by  the  heavier,  stronger, 
and  better  fitting  up  of  the  mill  without  breaking  points, 
by  the  improvement  in  the  arrangement  and  better  fitting 
up  of  the  side  guards,  by  the  closing  of  the  grooves  in  the 
roughing  mills,  by  the  increase  in  the  width  of  the  pile,  by 
the  increased  length  of  the  furnace,  and  by  the  increased 
height  of  the  furnace  roof,  which  carried  the  heat  much 
farther,  thereby  enabling  us  to  charge  eight  nine-inch  piles 
instead  of  six  five-  and  six-inch  piles.  All  of  these  improve- 
ments were  calculated  to  improve  the  quality  of  the  work, 
and  increased  the  production,  both  important  factors. 

The  improvements  that  were  made  in  those  trying  and 
active  years  were  not  confined  to  rails  alone,  but  all  branches 
of  the  iron  trade  came  in  for  a  full  share  of  the  benefits  of 
all  the  changes  that  had  taken  place,  and  they  were  many; 
many  of  them  were  revolutionary  in  their  character,  and 
were  always  met  with  opposition  to  their  introduction, 
some  of  them  being  fiercely  opposed.  But  I  had  laid  down 
an  absolute  rule  not  to  even  suggest  anything  new  or 
untried  until  I  had  satisfied  myself  that  it  was  all  right 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  135 

and  was  a  proper  thing  ta  do;  consequently  I  was  well 
fortified  and  was  in  a  position  that  was  at  all  times  impreg- 
nable. But  this  almost  constant  opposition  became  at 
times  unpleasant  to  both  parties.  At  last  I  became  tired, 
yet  had  I  yielded  one  jot  or  tittle  the  result  would  have  been 
different,  and  it  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  the  great 
Cambria  Works  would  not  be  in  existence  to-day.  After 
six  years  of  as  hard,  laborious,  and  vexatious  work  as  ever 
fell  to  the  lot  of  a  man  to  do,  I  decided  to  leave  the  scene  of 
my  early  struggles  and  try  my  fortune  elsewhere,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  5th  of  July,  1860,  with  feelings  of  sorrow  I 
said  good-by  to  my  many  friends  and  to  as  loyal  and  effi- 
cient a  corps  of  foremen  and  workmen  as  any  man  ever  had 
the  honor  to  have  around  him.  On  the  next  morning, 
July  6th,  I  reported  for  duty  with  the  Bethlehem  Iron 
Company,  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania. 

During  the  six  years  I  was  with  the  Cambria  Company  I 
had  no  vacation  whatever,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  visit 
to  Philadelphia  to  raise  funds,  previously  referred  to,  I  was 
only  once  away  from  the  works  over  two  consecutive  days, 
and  then  on  official  business,  when  I  went  down  to  Chat- 
tanooga for  the  purpose  of  examining  an  iron  ore  and  coal 
property.  This  was  in  the  spring  of  1860. 


(137) 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

BETHLEHEM:  IRON  ROLLING  MILL  AND  BLAST 
FURNACES. 

As  I  before  said,  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  July,  1860, 
my  family  (wife,  daughter,  and  I),  boarded  a  train  on  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  at  Johnstown,  Pennsylvania,  for 
Bethlehem,  leaving  the  scenes  of  my  early  struggles  behind 
me,  to  enter  into  another,  which,  in  the  end,  proved  one  of 
much  greater  importance. 

We  arrived  in  Bethlehem  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day, 
July  5th.  I  had  previously  made  arrangements  with  the 
Bethlehem  Iron  Company  to  accept  the  position  of  General 
Superintendent  and  Chief  Engineer.  On  the  morning  of 
July  6th,  I  reported  to  the  directors  of  the  said  company, 
and  in  company  with  Mr.  Augustus  Wolle,  Mr.  Charles  B. 
Daniel,  Mr.  Charles  W.  Rauch,  and  Mr.  Robert  H.  Sayre 
I  visited  the  ground  where  the  proposed  plant  was  to  be 
located.  The  next  day  I  looked  over  the  location  again 
to  see  if  any  change  was  desirable,  and  I  found  on  measure- 
ment that  the  space  between  the  Lehigh  River  and  the 
Lehigh  Valley  Railroad  was  not  wide  enough  to  locate  the 
plant  without  encroaching  on  the  river.  The  location  we 
had  made  the  day  before  was  on  the  widest  part  of  the  land, 
consequently  we  had  either  to  change  the  design  of  the 
plant  or  to  encroach  on  the  river,  and  we  chose  the  latter. 

We  arranged  at  once  with  the  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad 
Company  to  have  a  siding  put  in.  Ground  was  broken  on 
the  1 6th  of  July,  and  about  the  last  of  July  we  got  fairly  at 
work  to  erect  two  medium-sized  blast  furnaces  and  a  rolling 

139 


140  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

mill,  containing  eight  double  puddling  furnaces  and  six  heat- 
ing furnaces  (later,  increased  to  fourteen  double  puddling 
furnaces  and  nine  heating  furnaces) ;  we  also  commenced  to 
build  a  stone  building  to  cover  them.  We  worked  at  this 
until  winter  set  in,  but,  owing  to  the  excitement  incident  to 
the  threatened  Civil  War,  we  ceased  work  for  the  winter. 
When  spring  came  we  commenced  work  again,  and  during 
the  summer  of  1861  we  erected  the  mill  building  out  of 
stone. 

In  the  fall  we  had  one  of  the  greatest  rises  known  in  the 
Lehigh  River;  it  destroyed  all  of  the  part  of  the  building 
that  had  been  built  on  the  encroachment  on  the  river, 
amounting  in  length  to  about  eighty  feet.  During  the  time 
the  mill  was  being  built  we  erected  one  of  the  blast  furnaces, 
but  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1861-62  the  general  outlook  was 
so  discouraging  that  the  work  on  the  whole  plant  was  again 
suspended  for  the  winter.  In  the  spring  of  1862  work  was 
commenced  again,  and  during  the  summer  the  building, 
including  that  portion  of  it  which  had  been  washed  down 
by  the  flood,  was  completed;  most  of  the  foundations  were 
in  and  we  had  much  of  the  machinery  ready  to  be  set  up  in 
place.  The  machinery  of  the  rail  train  consisted  of  three 
stands  of  rolls  —  two  sets  for  rails,  and  one  set  for  top  and 
bottoms  —  driven  by  one  engine  connected  directly  to  the 
train.  There  was  also  in  connection  with  the  finishing  end 
of  the  mill  one  train  of  rolls  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  with 
four  stands  of  rolls,  for  rolling  light  rails  and  such  light 
merchant  iron  as  was  wanted  for  use  about  the  works. 
There  were  seven  heating  furnaces  in  the  finishing  end. 

In  the  puddling  department  there  was  one  puddle  train 
with  two  sets  of  rolls  and  a  rotary  squeezer,  driven  off  the 
end  of  the  rolls.  The  rolls  were  driven  direct  from  the  engine. 
The  puddling  department,  as  stated  above,  contained  eight 
double  puddling  furnaces,  with  shears  and  hot  beds,  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  141 

such  equipment  as  was  necessary  for  handling  the  iron 
economically.  Both  the  finishing  and  the  puddle  rolls  were 
twenty-one  inches  in  diameter.  All  furnaces,  both  heating 
and  puddling,  had  boilers  over  them. 

During  the  summer  and  fall  of  1862  the  mill  was  quite 
completed,  and  in  September,  1863,  we  commenced  rolling 
rails.  Every  department  worked  entirely  satisfactorily. 
The  roll  housings  were  of  new  design  and  were  dressed  out 
inside  with  hammer,  chisel,  and  file ;  the  fittings  inside  were 
fitted  up  in  the  same  manner.  The  furnace  plates,  being 
corrugated,  were  strong  and  handsome;  the  building  was 
of  stone  (good  masonry) ;  the  train  was  of  the  largest  diam- 
eter used  in  any  rail  mill  in  the  country;  and  altogether  the 
plant  was  completely  fitted  up.  In  addition  to  the  rolling 
mill,  we  had  erected  a  large  machine  shop  and  foundry,  a 
blacksmith  shop,  and  a  pattern  shop,  all  built  of  stone  in 
first-class  manner.  Altogether,  they  made  a  fine  show,  and 
were  for  some  years  a  Mecca  for  the  iron  men  to  visit. 
There  was  nothing  in  the  world  in  the  way  of  an  iron  plant 
that  could  be  compared  with  the  Bethlehem  Works. 

In  the  meantime,  we  had  built  the  second  furnace,  which 
was  a  curiosity  in  its  way.  The  first  furnace,  or  Number 
One,  was  built  of  plate  iron  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness. It  was  the  first  shell  furnace,  as  they  were  called  at 
that  time,  built  in  the  Lehigh  Valley.  Iron  was  first  made 
in  this  furnace  on  January  4,  1863.  The  second  furnace,  or 
Number  Two,  was  also  built  of  iron,  but  instead  of  being 
a  boiler-plate  shell  it  was  constructed  with  bands  of  wrought 
iron  eight  inches  in  width,  about  seven-eighths  of  an  inch 
thick  at  the  bottom  of  the  furnace  and  five-eighths  of  an 
inch  thick  at  the  top.  These  bands,  or  circular  rings,  were 
riveted  about  twenty-four  inches  apart  to  uprights,  eight 
by  half-inch,  placed  about  thirty  inches  apart  from  center 
to  center.  As  the  distance  from  center  to  center  of  the 


142  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

bands  was  about  twenty-four  inches,  and  as  the  uprights 
were  about  thirty  inches  apart,  there  were  spaces  or  open- 
ings sixteen  by  twenty-two  inches.  This  is  known  as  the 
crinoline  construction.  By  leaving  a  small  hole  in  each 
space  in  whatever  depth  in  the  lining  seemed  proper,  one 
could  see  and  learn  something  of  the  temperature  in  the 
furnace;  should  there  be  a  scaffold,  one  could  learn  where 
it  was;  should  the  furnace  be  working  hot  in  any  place, 
it  could  be  cooled  off  by  the  use  of  a  swinging  platform, 
which  could  readily  be  hooked  to  the  band  on  any  part  of 
the  furnace. 

In  the  early  seventies  we  built  two  more  blast  furnaces  on 
new  lines,  seventy  feet  high  and  seventeen  feet  in  diameter 
at  the  bosh.  These  furnaces  were  higher  than  those  in 
general  use.  About  this  time  coke  began  to  be  used  in  the 
furnaces  in  Western  Pennsylvania  and  Eastern  Ohio,  and 
nearly  double  the  amount  of  iron  was  made  in  the  same 
sized  furnaces  that  we  could  make  with  anthracite  as  a  fuel. 
I  thought  that  by  building  larger  and  higher  furnaces  and 
much  more  powerful  blowing  engines  and  by  increasing 
the  blast  pressure  from  six  to  twelve  pounds  we  could  make 
as  much  iron  in  a  given  time  with  anthracite  as  they  could 
with  coke.  Some  of  my  Western  friends  came  to  Bethle- 
hem to  see  our  new  furnaces  and  learn  how  they  were 
working.  They  were  so  well  satisfied  with  the  result  we 
had  attained  by  high-pressure  blast  that  they  increased 
their  blast  pressure  from  about  three  and  a  half  pounds  to 
seven  or  eight,  and  we  were  again  beaten  about  as  badly  as 
we  had  been  before.  We  were  the  first,  so  far  as  I  know,  to 
use  high-pressure  blast. 

The  new  blowing  engines  were  made  horizontal  and  were 
much  criticized,  but  I  paid  little  or  no  attention  to  the 
critics.  The  engines,  however,  ran  constantly  for  over 
thirty  years,  to  my  knowledge,  day  and  night  (which  is 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  143 

equivalent  to  sixty  years  as  the  great  majority  of  engines 
run),  and  during  all  these  years  they  were  blowing  from  ten 
to  twelve  pounds  pressure  and  frequently  more,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  they  were  so  generally  condemned 
by  metallurgical  engineers,  and  they  are  still  running. 
Two  of  the  oldest  practical  ironmasters  from  the  other  side 
of  the  Atlantic,  John  Lancaster  and  Sir  I.  Lowthian  Bell, 
were  looking  over  the  engines  soon  after  they  were  started, 
and  I  ventured  to  ask  what  they  thought  of  them.  The 
former  said  that  I  had  gone  far  in  removing  the  objections 
in  his  mind  to  the  horizontal  blowing  engine.  Mr.  Bell  said 
they  were  certainly  working  beautifully,  but  that  he  would 
like  to  see  them  after  they  had  been  in  use  five  years. 

The  result  of  the  working  of  the  two  new  furnaces  was  so 
satisfactory  that  I  designed  a  new  furnace,  somewhat  larger 
and  higher,  with  some  change  in  the  lines,  and  with  a 
blowing  engine  that  would  blow  a  pressure  of  twenty  to 
thirty  pounds.  I  had  the  foundation  for  the  stack  put  in, 
but  the  caution  of  our  directors  was  so  great  that  they 
objected  to  the  building  of  this  new  furnace,  and  much  to 
my  regret  the  subject  was  for  the  time  dismissed  from  my 
mind.  The  advantage  of  higher  pressure  in  blast-furnace 
practice,  however,  soon  became  apparent  to  practical 
furnacemen,  and  higher  pressures  were  soon  generally 
adopted. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
UNITED  STATES  ROLLING  MILL  AT  CHATTANOOGA. 

DURING  the  Civil  War  the  Government  felt  the  need  of 
having  somewhere  in  the  South  an  iron  rolling  mill  for  the 
purpose  of  re-rolling  rails  which  had  been  torn  from  the 
railroads  by  the  Confederate  Army.  The  authorities  at 
Washington  took  up  the  matter  with  some  of  the  leading 
iron  men  of  the  country  and  entirely  to  my  surprise,  as 
I  had  known  nothing  about  it,  I  received,  in  March,  1864, 
a  letter  from  Col.  D.  C.  McCallum,  of  which  the  following 
is  a  copy: 

WAR  DEPARTMENT. 

OFFICE  OF 
MILITARY  DIRECTOR  AND  SUPT.  OF  RAILROADS,  U.  S. 

WASHINGTON,  March  14,  1864. 
To  Whom  it  may  concern: 

This  is  to  certify  that  John  Fritz  is  authorized  in  behalf 
of  the  United  States  Government  to  purchase  the  necessary 
machinery  and  materials  to  be  used  in  the  construction  of 
a  Rail  Rolling  Mill  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  and  any  ar- 
rangements he  may  make  will  be  fully  carried  out  by  the 
Government. 

The  early  completion  of  this  mill  is  important  and  in- 
dispensable to  the  advance  of  the  Army,  and  all  persons 
who  may  engage  to  furnish  machinery  or  material  therefor 
are  directed  to  do  so  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  business. 
Very  respectfully, 

Your  Obt.  Svt, 

D.  C.  McCALLUM, 

Col.  Director  &•  Genl.  Manager  M.  R.  R.  U.  S. 
144 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  145 

I  took  up  the  work  at  once  and  made  plans  for  the  mill 
and  arrangements  for  securing  the  necessary  machinery  and 
supplies. 

In  connection  with  procuring  the  machinery,  I  was 
obliged  to  secure  an  engine  for  driving  the  rolling  mill.  I 
went  to  see  Mr.  George  H.  Corliss,  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  the 
manufacturer  of  the  Corliss  engine,  at  that  time  very 
famous.  I  explained  to  him  just  what  I  wanted  for  the 
rolling  mill  at  Chattanooga,  and  asked  him  if  he  could  supply 
such  an  engine.  He  told  me  that  he  was  then  building  in 
the  shops,  and  had  nearly  completed,  an  engine  just  such 
as  I  wanted,  under  a  contract  made  previously,  but  that 
the  man  who  had  ordered  the  engine  was  in  no  hurry  for 
it  on  account  of  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  country.  I 
was  greatly  pleased  to  find  an  engine  just  such  as  I  wanted, 
as  it  was  then  very  difficult  to  obtain  finished  machinery,  and 
on  account  of  the  nature  of  the  work  it  was  essential  for 
us  to  begin  on  the  construction  of  the  rail  plant  at  Chat- 
tanooga as  soon  as  possible.  I  said  to  Mr.  Corliss,  "  This 
engine  of  yours  just  about  meets  my  needs.  What  is  the 
price  of  it?  "  He  called  his  secretary,  who  brought  in  the 
original  contract  for  the  engine.  At  that  time  material 
was  selling  for  at  least  double  what  it  had  sold  for  at  the 
time  when  this  contract  was  made.  I  said  to  Mr.  Corliss, 
"  I  should  like  to  make  as  good  a  bargain  as  possible  for 
the  Government,  but  I  want  to  be  fair  with  you  in  this 
matter."  Whereupon  Mr.  Corliss  replied,  "  You  can  have 
this  engine  at  the  original  contract  price,  although  it  is 
worth  more  to-day.  No  good  citizen  can  afford  to  take 
advantage  of  the  Government  in  its  hour  of  peril."  In  this 
remark  he  showed  a  public  spirit  and  patriotism  which 
marked  all  his  actions. 

It  was  impossible  for  me  to  personally  superintend  the 
erection  of  this  plant,  and  also  unnecessary.  I  saw  that 


146  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  plans  were  properly  drawn  up  and  the  machinery 
ordered.  My  brother  William,  who  had  been  in  the  army, 
was  made  Superintendent  of  the  plant,  and  T.  W.  Yardley, 
later  connected  with  the  R.  W.  Hunt  Bureau  of  Inspection 
and  Tests,  of  Chicago,  had  charge  of  the  business  end  as 
distinguished  from  the  manufacturing  end.  The  plant  was 
erected  according  to  my  plans  and  was  operated  by  the 
Government  throughout  the  war,  after  which  it  was  sold 
to  Mr.  Abram  S.  Hewitt,  of  New  York  City. 


CHAPTER  XX. 
PUDDLING. 

IF  space  would  permit,  I  should  like  to  go  more  fully  into 
the  practice  of  puddling,  commencing  with  its  invention  in 
1783,  and  following  it  all  through  its  successive  stages  until 
it  reached  its  climax  in  the  year  1890. 

While  puddling  is  generally  going  out  of  use  and  has  been 
so  greatly  overshadowed  by  the  Bessemer  process  that  it  is 
now  rather  slightingly  spoken  of,  yet  there  are  certain 
purposes  for  which  high-grade  iron  is  still  used,  and  will 
continue  to  be  used  for  some  time,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  steel  can  be  gotten  at  less  cost. 

Having  had  charge  of  puddling  furnaces  and  puddlers  for 
about  fifty  years  and  never  having  had  any  trouble  with 
either  furnace  or  puddler,  I  do  not  propose  to  see  my  old 
puddling  friend,  who  has  been  so  true  and  faithful,  and 
once  served  the  country  so  well,  laid  away  without  saying 
something  of  his  good  qualities  and  what  he  has  accom- 
plished. 

Prior  to  the  introduction  of  puddling  in  this  country,  or 
rather  to  the  time  it  was  introduced  in  a  number  of  mills, 
about  1830,  all  the  wrought  iron  was  made  in  charcoal  fires. 
It  was,  consequently,  expensive  and  the  quantity  small, 
and  as  wood  was  all  the  time  getting  scarcer,  in  a  few  years 
the  quantity  of  iron  necessary  to  supply  the  demands  of 
the  country  could  not  be  made  by  that  process.  Then 
came  the  puddling  process  to  supply  the  deficiency,  which 
it  did,  and  furnished  the  country  with  the  iron  that  was  so 
essential  for  the  wonderful  development  that  took  place, 

147 


148  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

and  at  the  same  time  prepared  the  way  for  the  introduc- 
tion and  remarkable  development  of  the  Bessemer  process. 
The  puddling  process,  as  it  was  generally  practiced,  was  a 
hard  and  laborious  one,  and  unmechanical,  and  in  its  earlier 
stages  it  was  not  very  scientific,  yet  to  a  person  who  was 
about  a  puddling  furnace  and  gave  it  any  attention  it  soon 
became  interesting,  if  he  did  not  have  to  do  the  work. 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  the  basic  process  by 
the  late  lamented  Sidney  Gilchrist  Thomas,  it  was  the  only 
process  in  which  a  pig  iron  high  in  phosphorus  could  be 
used,  commercially  speaking.  The  name  of  Henry  Cort, 
the  inventor  of  the  puddling  process,  well  deserves  to  be 
enrolled  among  the  list  of  great  inventors,  as  one  to  whom 
the  whole  civilized  world  is  greatly  indebted. 

While  it  may  be  out  of  place  here  to  mention  any  special 
class,  yet  I  feel  that  I  would  not  be  doing  my  duty  to  let 
this  opportunity  pass  without  paying  tribute  to  the  meri- 
torious and  hard-working  class  of  men  who,  up  until  1870, 
made  practically  all  the  iron  that  was  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  railroads,  that,  as  it  were,  practically  gridironed 
the  country.  They  also  made  the  iron  for  the  bridges  that 
spanned  the  great  rivers,  and  for  the  locomotives  and  cars 
that  were  used  on  them;  also  the  iron  that  was  used  for 
manufacturing,  mechanical,  and  other  purposes.  In  the 
year  1890  there  was  produced  by  this  process  in  the  United 
States  the  enormous  quantity  of  2,518,194  gross  tons.  Now 
I  think,  in  view  of  the  magnificent  results  that  have  been 
achieved  by  the  process,  it  is  surely  entitled  to  a  prominent 
place  in  the  history  of  the  iron  industries  of  the  world. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
THE  BESSEMER  PROCESS. 

IN  1864  the  Bessemer  process  was  introduced  into  the 
United  States.  Its  introduction  and  perfection  will  ever 
remain  one  of  the  most  interesting  epochs  in  the  history  of 
the*  iron  business,  being,  practically  speaking,  revolutionary 
in  its  character.  The  late  Hon.  Abram  S.  Hewitt  refers 
to  the  Bessemer  process  as  one  that  takes  rank  with  the 
great  events  which  have  changed  the  face  of  society  since 
the  time  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

During  the  early  excitement  over  the  Bessemer  steel  rail 
made  by  Mushet  from  metal  melted  in  common  melting 
pots,  a  steel  rail  was  laid  on  the  Midland  Railway  in  1857, 
at  a  place  where  iron  rails  lasted  only  about  three  months. 
The  wearing  qualities  of  the  rail,  which  was  double-headed, 
and  which  had  been  rolled  at  Ebbw  Vale  Iron  Company, 
were  so  marvelous  that  I  thought  it  might  be  well  to  see  if 
iron  ores  could  be  found  in  this  country  pure  enough  to  make 
good  Bessemer  steel.  Having  had  much  experience  in  the 
manufacture  of  good  merchant  bar  iron,  I  had  learned  that 
there  were  but  few  brands  of  pig  iron  that  could  be  used  in 
the  dry  process  of  puddling,  which  was  in  use  at  that  time, 
to  make  a  high  quality  of  good  wrought  iron.  This  was 
before  the  application  of  that  most  valuable  science, — 
chemistry, —  to  the  metallurgy  of  iron.  But  I  had  in  some 
way  learned  that  phosphorus  was  not  permissible  in  the 
manufacture  of  good  wrought  iron.  This  led  me  to  the 
conclusion  that  an  iron  high  in  phosphorus  would  be 
unsuitable  for  steel-making  purposes. 

149 


150  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

At  this  time  the  making  of  Bessemer  steel  was  a  most 
important  and  interesting  subject,  and  so  far  seemed  to 
be  surrounded  with  doubts  and  difficulties  that  looked 
formidable. 

Having  taken  an  interest  in  the  process  from  its  early 
inception,  and  closely  watching  the  progress  it  made  in 
England  and  Sweden,  I  made  up  my  mind  it  was  an  inven- 
tion of  such  importance  to  us  that  I  would  investigate  it. 
After  the  patent  rights  for  the  United  States  had  been 
bought  by  Winslow,  Griswold  &  Holley,  I  made  a  visit  to 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  where  they  had  an  experimental  plant,  to  try 
to  get  the  right  to  use  the  patents  for  a  small  two-and-one- 
half-  or  three-ton  converter,  for  experimental  purposes,  at 
Bethlehem  with  American  pig  iron,  to  see  whether  our  ores 
were  suitable  for  acid  Bessemer  steel.  My  interview  with 
Mr.  Griswold  was  very  unsatisfactory.  After  seeing  him 
and  talking  the  subject  over  thoroughly  with  him,  he  showed 
me  a  circular  from  Mr.  Bessemer  in  which  he  said  the  limit 
of  phosphorus  was  0.02  in  the  steel.  A  reference  to  this 
circular  was  made  in  the  discussion  of  a  paper  read  by  Sir 
Henry  Bessemer  at  the  December,  1896,  meeting  of  the 
American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  of  which  at  the 
time  I  had  the  honor  of  being  President.  (It  is  reported  in 
"  Transactions  American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers, " 
Vol.  XVIII,  page  482.)  When  I  saw  the  Bessemer  circular 
I  at  once  said,  "  Mr.  Griswold,  if  that  is  the  limit  of  phos- 
phorus, it  is  useless  to  consider  the  subject  any  further,  and 
the  process  will  be  of  little  value  in  this  country."  We  had 
had,  practically  speaking,  most  of  the  ores  of  the  country 
analyzed  by  William  T.  Roepper,  of  Bethlehem,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  had  found  it  was  not  possible  to  make  any  consid- 
erable quantity  of  pig  iron  low  enough  in  phosphorus  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  the  Bessemer  circular.  I  well  knew  it 
was  not  possible  to  get  any  large  quantity  of  iron  so  low  in 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  I$I 

phosphorus,  as  in  a  general  way  the  coal  and  ores  carried 
nearly  that  amount;  consequently  the  Bessemer  fever  which 
I  had  when  I  met  Mr.  Griswold  was  changed  to  a  Bessemer 
chill  after  the  interview.  This  was  a  great  disappointment 
to  me.  By  the  time  I  reached  home  I  was  all  right,  however, 
and  I  abandoned  the  idea  of  going  into  making  Bessemer 
steel.  Knowing  the  inferiority  of  the  iron  rails  made  in  the 
country  and  knowing  something  must  be  done,  I  then 
turned  my  attention  to  the  improvement  of  their  quality, 
and  with  some  success. 

I  set  my  mind  at  work  to  make  all  possible  improvement 
on  iron  rails,  and  gave  considerable  thought  to  steel-headed 
rails.  We  succeeded  in  making  a  much  better  iron  rail 
than  had  been  made  up  to  that  time,  and  made  some 
experiments  in  the  direction  of  steel-headed  rails  with  some 
promise  of  success.  But  having  all  the  work  we  could  do 
on  iron  rails,  we  paid  but  little  attention  to  steel,  as  the 
information  I  received  from  Mr.  Griswold  satisfied  me  that 
it  was  useless  to  spend  any  more  time  on  the  steel  ques- 
tion. During  this  time,  in  or  about  the  years  1863  or  1864, 
William  F.  Durfee  and  Robert  W.  Hunt  were  at  Wyandotte, 
Michigan,  making  experiments  with  a  small  converter. 
They  succeeded  in  making  steel,  but  their  experiments  could 
not  be  called  a  commercial  success.  About  the  same  time, 
or  probably  a  little  later,  Mr.  A.  L.  Holley  was  successful 
in  making  steel  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  at  the  experimental  plant 
before  referred  to. 

In  or  about  the  year  1865,  the  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad 
Company  imported  some  steel  rails  from  England.  In 
being  unloaded  from  the  cars  one  of  the  rails  was  broken 
and  it  was  sent  to  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Company's  works 
to  be  drilled  and  spliced.  We  had  the  drillings  analyzed 
and  found  the  rail  to  contain  about  0.12  of  phosphorus. 
The  rail  had  broken,  as  might  have  been  expected  with  that 


152  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

amount  of  phosphorus,  Mr.  Bessemer 's  limit  being  0.02. 
At  this  time  the  steel-rail  question  did  not  look  inviting, 
and  I  was  glad  we  had  so  far  kept  out  of  it.  A  short  time 
after  this  the  Lehigh  Valley  sent  two  more  steel  rails,  made 
by  another  English  firm,  which  had  been  broken  in  the 
track.  This  looked  so  very  discouraging  that  the  end  of 
the  steel  rail  seemed  in  sight.  But  knowing  about  the 
marvelous  wearing  qualities  of  the  one  steel  rail  laid  on  the 
Midland  Railway  in  1857,  I  thought  it  important  to  inves- 
tigate the  subject  further.  So  I  sent  for  the  track  master 
of  the  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad  and  went  to  the  place  where 
the  breakage  of  the  second  and  third  rails  had  taken  place. 
I  there  learned  that  a  loaded  coal  car  had  from  some 
unknown  cause  left  the  rail.  Upon  close  examination  we 
found  the  flange  of  the  wheel  had  struck  the  head  of  the 
spike  that  held  the  rail  in  place,  causing  injury  to  the  rail, 
and  in  each  case  of  breakage  we  found  it  had  occurred  at  a 
point  inj;he  flange  immediately  under  the  head  of  the  spike. 
I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  that  had  caused  the  breakage 
of  the  rails.  We  had  the  two  broken  rails  analyzed  and 
found  them  to  contain  each  about  0.06  of  phosphorus. 

The  analysis  of  the  two  rails  that  were  broken  in  the  track 
inspired  new  hope,  and  we  took  the  ore  question  up  again 
and  had  a  number  of  analyses  made  of  the  Lake  Superior 
ores,  but  all  were  too  high  in  phosphorus,  to  keep  as  low  as 
the  two  rails  broken  in  the  track;  after  carefully  looking 
over  the  analyses  of  the  ores  we  had  previously  made,  we 
did  find  some  ores  in  other  localities  that  were  so  low  in 
phosphorus  as  to  give  us  hope  that  steel  could  be  made 
within  the  limit  of  0.06  of  phosphorus,  but  the  ore  was  not 
found  in  large  quantities  and  was  low  in  iron.  It  was  a 
question  in  my  mind  whether  sufficient  ores  of  the  quality 
desired  could  be  relied  on  for  any  length  of  time.  However, 
we  must  have  a  better  rail  in  some  way,  and  concluded  to 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  153 

take  our  chance  and  build  a  Bessemer  plant.  We  did  this 
very  reluctantly,  as  we  could  not  see  sufficient  ore  in  sight 
to  warrant  a  supply  for  any  great  length  of  time.  We  would 
have  to  take  our  chances  and  would  have  to  rely  to  some 
extent  on  importation,  probably  of  both  ore  and  pig  iron, 
and  on  the  hope  that  more  low-phosphorus  ores  might  be 
discovered. 

We  started  the  foundations  of  the  building  in  the  fall 
of  1868. 

In  building  the  Bessemer  plant  and  the  rolling  mill  I 
made  a  new  departure.  In  place  of  building  separate 
buildings  for  the  Bessemer  plant,  and  also  for  the  various 
roll  trains,  I  built  a  good  substantial  stone  building,  931 
feet  in  length  and  in  feet  in  width,  with  four  transepts, 
two  on  each  side,  arranged  in  the  form  of  a  double  cross. 
Each  of  the  transepts  was  in  feet  in  width  and  386  feet  in 
length  and  29  feet  high  to  the  square.  They  were  located 
to  best  serve  economically  the  purpose  intended.  In  one 
of  them  was  placed  the  machinery  for  the  converting 
department,  one  was  used  for  a  train  of  rolls  for  making 
light  rails  for  mining  and  light  tramway  purposes,  the  other 
two  were  intended  for  rolling  merchant  steel.  Near  one 
end  of  the  main  building  the  converting  department  was 
located,  in  line  with  the  transept  that  contained  the  ma- 
chinery for  operating  the  converting  plant.  This  machin- 
ery consisted  of  blowing  engines  and  high-pressure  pumps 
for  working  the  cranes  and  handling  the  converters.  We 
put  in  four  eight-ton  converters.  The  object  in  putting 
in  the  four  converters  was  to  practically  do  away  with  night 
and  Sunday  repair  work,  which  is  expensive  and  a  great 
nuisance.  Back  of  the  converters  were  placed  the  cupolas, 
eight  for  melting  the  iron,  and  two  for  melting  the  spiegel- 
eisen.  A  space  back  of  the  cupola  was  arranged  for  the 
mixing  of  the  refractory  material  for  making  the  converter 


154  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

bottoms  and  stoppers.  The  floor  for  making  them  on,  and 
an  oven  for  drying  them  in,  were  arranged  for  economical 
working,  with  an  eye  to  neatness. 

The  floor  line  of  the  whole  plant  was  on  a  level  except  the 
casting  pit,  which  was  about  two  feet  below  the  floor  line. 
This  made  it  convenient  for  the  men  to  pour  into  the  moulds, 
and  at  the  same  time  protected  the  men  in  case  of  accidental 
breaking  out  of  the  metal,  which  in  the  early  history  of  the 
Bessemer  process  frequently  occurred. 

The  converters  were  arranged  in  pairs,  two  on  each  side 
of  the  center  of  the  building,  with  distance  between  them 
sufficient  to  allow  work  to  be  done  in  the  pits  for  each  pair 
of  vessels  without  interfering  with  each  other.  The  con- 
verters, which  as  before  noted  were  in  pairs,  had  a  hydraulic 
lift  between  them,  which  raised  the  molten  metal  up  to 
the  height  to  pour  into  the  vessel. 

The  engines  of  the  mill  for  blowing  and  rolling  the  steel 
were  of  the  following  dimensions : 

The  first  Bessemer  blowing  engines  had  two  steam  cyl- 
inders thirty-six  inches  by  sixty  inches,  coupled  direct, 
with  two  blowing  tubs  forty-eight  inches  by  sixty  inches. 
The  second  pair  of  blowing  engines  (built  later)  had  two 
steam  cylinders  fifty-six  inches  by  sixty-six  inches,  with 
two  blowing  tubs  sixty  inches  by  sixty-six  inches.  These 
engines  were  capable  of  maintaining  forty  pounds'  air 
pressure.  The  smaller  blooming-mill  engine  had  a  cylinder 
thirty-six  inches  by  sixty  inches,  coupled  direct,  with  two 
stands  of  three-high  rolls  thirty-two  inches  in  diameter. 
The  large  blooming-mill  engine  cylinder  was  sixty-five 
inches  by  ninety-six  inches,  with  a  ninety-ton  flywheel, 
driving  direct  one  stand  of  three-high  rolls,  forty-eight 
inches  in  diameter  by  ten  feet  long. 

Both  trains  were  supplied  with  movable  tables  controlled 
by  two:  levers  at  one  point.  The  first  rail  train,  twenty- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  155 

four  inches  in  diameter,  was  composed  of  four  stands  of  three- 
high  rolls  driven  by  an  upright  compound  engine;  high- 
pressure  cylinder,  thirty  inches  in  diameter;  low-pressure 
cylinder,  fifty-four  inches  in  diameter ;  stroke,  fifty  inches. 

The  large  rail  train,  also  intended  to  roll  shapes,  was 
twenty-eight  inches  in  diameter,  composed  of  three  stands 
of  rolls  three-high,  driven  by  a  triple  tandem  compound 
condensing  engine  connected  to  the  train  direct  and  exert- 
ing 8000  H.P.  This  engine  had  three  high-pressure  cyl- 
inders thirty-six  inches  in  diameter,  and  three  low-pressure 
cylinders  fifty-four  inches  in  diameter,  with  forty-six-inch 
stroke.  This  train  was  equipped  with  tables. 

The  finishing  end  of  the  mill  was  equipped  with  the 
necessary  saws,  hot  beds,  drill  presses,  straightening  presses, 
cold  beds,  and  loading  apparatus. 

The  perplexities  and  anxiety  connected  with  the  manu- 
facture of  Bessemer  steel  were  fully  described  by  me  in  an 
address  delivered  before  the  Franklin  Institute  in  1899, 
from  which  I  quote: 

"  In  witnessing  the  beautiful  and  interesting  but  simple 
process  of  blowing  a  heat  of  metal,  and  the  regularity  with 
which  it  is  done  at  this  time,  and  the  quantity  turned  out, 
it  is  impossible  for  one  wholly  unacquainted  with  its  early 
history  to  even  in  a  measure  realize  the  fear  and  anxiety 
of  those  who  were  responsible  for  the  result.  When  a 
charge  of  metal  was  poured  into  the  vessel,  the  blast  put 
on,  and  the  vessel  turned  up,  our  anxiety  commenced,  and 
as  the  heat  increased  our  anxiety  increased  in  a  corre- 
sponding ratio,  until  both  became  intense.  It  was  when  the 
heat  was  greatest  that  accidents  were  most  likely  to  happen. 
The  refractory  material  with  which  the  converters  were 
lined,  especially  the  bottoms,  would  give  out,  and  when  in 
that  condition  the  effect  of  the  heat  and  the  blast  would 
waste  the  tuyeres  and  bottoms  away  so  rapidly  that  from 


156  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

one  to  three  heats  were  all  we  could  get  off  of  one  bottom. 
Frequently  they  would  give  out  at  the  first  heat,  then  out 
would  come  the  metal  through  the  bottom;  and  having  to 
use  much  water  about  the  converter,  the  place  under  the 
vessel  was  at  all  times  wet,  and  the  result  was  explosions, 
often  very  dangerous,  as  the  hot  metal  was  blown  in  all 
directions,  frequently  inflicting  serious  injuries  on  the 
workmen,  a  calamity  greatly  dreaded  and  the  cause  of  the 
gravest  anxiety  to  those  in  charge.  When  an  accident 
occurred  anywhere  about  the  works  the  first  question  asked 
would  be:  '  Is  anyone  hurt?'  If  not,  we  would  go  to 
work  at  once  to  repair  with  that  object  only  in  mind.  If, 
on  the  contrary,  some  of  the  workmen  were  seriously 
injured,  it  is  impossible  to  describe  the  distress  of  mind 
that  the  person  in  charge  had  to  endure.  When  the  vessel 
was  turned  down  it  sometimes  went  too  far  and  some  of 
the  metal  ran  out,  resulting  frequently  in  a  grand  pyro- 
technic display  of  an  exceedingly  dangerous  character. 

"  The  next  operation  was  to  get  the  metal  in  the  ladle, 
which  was  generally  not  a  very  difficult  one,  but  it  would 
frequently  burn  through  the  ladle,  and  then  the  only  thing 
that  could  be  done  was  to  let  it  run  into  the  pit  and  order 
all  hands  out  of  the  way,  for  fear  of  an  explosion.  As  soon 
as  the  metal  was  partially  set  all  hands  commenced  to  clean 
the  pit,  which  was  no  easy  task.  Here  were  eight  tons  of 
molten  steel  in  the  pit,  burned  fast  to  ingot  moulds,  bottom 
and  sides  of  the  pit,  and  to  everything  that  would  not  burn 
up.  If  we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  get  the  ladle  over  the  pit 
in  good  shape,  our  anxiety  was  not  yet  at  an  end.  It  quite 
frequently  happened  that  the  stopper  would  pull  off  the 
end  of  the  rod;  then  we  had  to  use  what  we  called  a  pricker 
to  open  the  nozzle  from  the  bottom.  If  the  metal  happened 
to  be  cold,  which  by  that  time  it  was  apt  to  be,  the  nozzle 
would  freeze  up,  as  we  called  it;  then  the  metal  would  have 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  157 

to  be  poured  out  of  the  top  of  the  ladle  into  the  mould, 
cinder  and  steel  all  together,  with  the  result  that  generally 
the  most  of  it  got  into  the  pit;  then  again,  if  we  escaped  an 
explosion  we  still  had  a  mess  in  the  pit.  Altogether  the 
difficulties  we  encountered  were  enough  to  appall  the 
bravest  hearts.  My  brother  George  once  said,  when  at 
Cambria,  that  he  did  not  believe  there  was  a  man  who  ever 
went  into  the  Bessemer  business,  and  was  responsible  for 
the  result,  who  did  not  at  times  wish  he  had  never  gone 
into  it;  and  so  far  as  my  experience  goes,  I  can  fully  corrobo- 
rate it.  And,  further,  I  think  that,  if  it  had  not  been  for 
the  interesting  and  exciting  character  of  the  business,  but 
few  men  would  have  been  willing  to  incur  the  trouble  and 
anxiety,  and  to  endure  the  physical  labor  and  danger  to 
which  he  and  the  workmen  were  constantly  exposed,  long 
enough  to  have  placed  the  business  on  a  commercial  basis." 
The  difficulties  that  confronted  us  in  the  early  manu- 
facture of  steel  were  grave  and  almost  innumerable.  To 
cite  one  instance :  We  had  put  in  a  new  bottom  and  turned 
the  vessel  up,  and  out  went  one  or  two  tuyeres;  we  turned 
it  down  to  put  the  tuyeres  in  again,  and  we  had  to  turn  it 
down  two  or  three  times  for  the  same  purpose.  By  the 
time  we  got  the  metal  out  into  the  ladle,  to  pour  it  into  the 
moulds,  the  stopper  "  froze  up,"  that  is  to  say,  the  stopper 
came  off.  Well,  then  we  tried  to  prick  the  thing  from  the 
bottom,  but  did  not  succeed,  so  we  had  an  arrangement  by 
which  we  poured  it  into  the  mould.  Cinders  and  all  went 
in  together,  but  in  some  manner  the  whole  heat  went  into 
the  pit.  As  soon  as  it  got  into  the  pit  I  said,  "  Get  out  of 
the  way."  It  gave  one  of  the  grandest  pyrotechnic  ex- 
hibitions I  have  ever  seen  in  my  life.  I  was  afraid  someone 
would  be  burnt,  but  fortunately  no  one  was  injured.  We 
got  to  work  and  cleaned  up  the  pit.  Holley,  who  was 
visiting  me  at  the  time,  helped  us,  and  after  we  had  the  pit 


158  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

cleared  up  and  started  up  again,  a  workman  let  an  ingot  fall 
off  the  buggy  beyond  the  reach  of  the  crane.  I  said  to  Hoi- 
ley,  "  Look  at  that."  He  said,  "  Boss,  that  will  lie  still." 

Immediately  after  this  I  was  sent  for  to  go  to  the  blast  fur- 
nace on  account  of  trouble  there.  We  had  been  discussing 
these  bottoms  right  along  and  all  blamed  the  tuyeres.  The 
manufacturers  of  the  tuyeres  would  say,  "  Well,  we  cannot 
put  any  more  refractory  material  into  them."  The  tuyeres 
were  filled  in  between  with  ganister;  we  just  lined  the  vessel 
with  stone  after  that.  I  contended  that  this  ganister  blew 
out.  It  could  not  melt,  because  it  could  stand  more  heat 
than  the  tuyeres,  but  I  thought  the  friction  of  the  blast 
blew  it  off  until  the  tuyeres  became  exposed,  and  they  could 
not  stand  the  heat  and  pressure  both.  On  my  way  over  to 
the  furnace  I  noticed  some  sixteen-inch  blast-furnace  lining 
brick,  and  I  used  some  of  this  as  a  filler  between  the  tuyeres. 
On  the  first  experiment  we  got  twelve  heats  off  one  bottom, 
which  was  phenomenal.  That  was  the  end  of  the  trouble. 

From  this  time  our  troubles  began  to  diminish,  and 
instead  of  making  ten  and  twelve  heats  per  day  we  soon 
ran  up  to  fifty  and  sixty  heats  in  twelve  hours,  and  some 
of  the  works  are  now  making  seventy  and  eighty.  This 
system  of  making  bottoms  was  at  once  generally  adopted, 
and  is  still  in  use. 

At  this  time  the  machinists  before  alluded  to  were  called 
to  the  front  to  brave  the  danger  and  fight  the  great  battles 
that  have  ever  to  be  encountered  in  the  introduction  of  new 
metallurgical  processes,  and  in  none  were  the  difficulties 
more  alarming  and  disheartening  than  in  the  Bessemer 
process.  These  men  had  now  received  a  training  which 
eminently  fitted  them  for  the  duties  they  were  called  upon 
to  perform.  Having  been  inured  to  hard  work,  they 
entered  into  this  new  field  with  such  an  amount  of  energy 
and  determination  that  it  made  failure  impossible. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
THE  BESSEMER  PROCESS.  —  Continued. 

ONE  of  the  earliest  and  most  graphic  accounts  of  a  Besse- 
mer "  blow  "  at  night  was  written  by  our  ever-lamented 
friend,  A.  L.  Holley,  to  whom  I  have  before  referred.  It 
was  published  in  the  Troy  Daily  Times  in  1865,  and  quoted 
by  Dr.  Rossiter  W.  Raymond  in  a  memorial  address  at  the 
Turf  Club  Theater,  of  New  York  City,  November  i,  1883, 
at  a  combined  meeting  of  the  American  Society  of  Civil 
Engineers,  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers, 
and  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers.  In 
describing  the  blow,  Mr.  Holley  said : 

"  The  cavernous  room  is  dark,  the  air  sulphurous,  the 
sounds  of  suppressed  power  are  melancholy  and  deep. 
Half-revealed  monsters  with  piercing  eyes  crouch  in  the 
corners,  spectral  shapes  ever  flit  about  the  wall,  and  lurid 
beams  of  light  anon  flash  in  your  face  as  some  remorseless 
beast  opens  its  red-hot  jaws  for  its  iron  ration.  Then  the 
melter  thrusts  a  spear  between  the  joints  of  its  armor  and 
a  glistening,  yellow  stream  spurts  out  for  a  moment,  and 
then  all  is  dark  once  more.  Again  and  again  he  stabs  it, 
till  six  tons  of  its  hot  and  smoking  blood  fill  a  great  caldron 
to  the  brim.  Then  the  foreman  shouts  to  a  thirty-foot 
giant  in  the  corner,  who  straightway  stretches  out  his  iron 
arm  and  gently  lifts  the  cauldron  away  up  into  the  air  and 
turns  out  the  yellow  blood  in  a  hissing,  sparkling  stream, 
which  dives  into  the  white-hot  jaws  of  another  monster,  — 
a  monster  as  big  as  an  elephant,  with  a  head  like  a  frog,  and 
scaly  hide.  The  foreman  shouts  again,  at  which  up  rises 

159 


160  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  monster  on  its  haunches,  growling  and  snorting  sparks 
and  flame. 

"  What  a  conflict  of  the  elements  is  going  on  in  that  vast 
laboratory!  A  million  balls  of  melted  iron,  tearing  away 
from  the  liquid  mass,  surging  from  side  to  side,  and  plung- 
ing down  again,  only  to  be  blown  out  more  hot  and  angry 
than  before  —  column  upon  column  of  air,  squeezed  solid 
like  rods  of  glass  by  the  power  of  five  hundred  horses, 
piercing  and  shattering  the  iron  at  every  point,  chasing 
it  up  and  down,  robbing  it  of  its  treasures,  only  to  be  itself 
decomposed,  and  hurled  out  into  the  night  in  roaring  blaze. 

"  As  the  combustion  progresses,  the  surging  mass  grows 
hotter,  throwing  out  splashes  of  liquid  slag;  and  the  dis- 
charge from  its  mouth  changes  from  sparks  and  streaks  of 
red  and  yellow  gas  to  thick,  full,  white,  howling,  dazzling 
flame.  But  such  battles  cannot  last  long.  In  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  the  iron  is  stripped  of  every  combustible  alloy, 
and  hangs  out  the  white  flag.  The  converter  is  then  turned 
upon  its  side,  the  blast  shut  off,  and  the  recarburizer  run  in. 
Then  for  a  moment  the  war  of  the  elements  rages  again; 
the  mass  boils  and  flames  with  higher  intensity,  and  with 
a  rapidity  of  chemical  reaction,  sometimes  throwing  it 
violently  out  of  the  converter  mouth;  then  all  is  quiet, 
and  the  product  is  steel,  —  liquid,  milky  steel,  that  pours 
out  into  the  ladle  from  under  its  roof  of  slag,  smooth, 
shining,  and  almost  transparent." 

In  the  early  history  of  the  process  Mr.  Holley,  Captain 
Hunt,  my  brother  George,  and  Captain  Jones  would  fre- 
quently come  to  Bethlehem  to  talk  over  our  troubles  — 
not  high  finance,  but  the  difficulties  we  daily  met,  which  at 
times  seemed  almost  insuperable.  We  did  not  meet  as 
diplomats,  to  find  out  what  each  other  wanted,  without  even 
hinting  of  anything  they  wanted,  but  we  met  as  a  band  of 
loving  brother  engineers  trained  by  arduous  experience, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  l6l 

young,  able,  energetic,  and  determined  to  make  a  success. 
I  doubt  if  ever  five  natural  brothers  were  more  loyal  to  each 
other  than  the  five  brother  engineers  above  named.  What 
each  of  us  knew  was  common  to  all. 

Upon  one  occasion  we  all  met  at  my  house  and  talked  over 
our  troubles  in  detail,  and  they  seemed  so  grave  that  some 
of  us  doubted  if  we  could  ever  make  the  Bessemer  process 
a  financial  success.  In  fact,  my  doubts  were  such  that  I 
had  thought  seriously  of  making  a  steel-headed  rail  and  had 
made  some  experiments  in  that  line,  with  some  little  show 
of  success,  when  some  one  of  the  party  said  that  if  there 
could  be  a  patent  secured  on  the  steel-headed  rail  it  would 
be  worth  more  than  any  other  patent  that  could  be  taken 
out.  To  this  my  brother  George  dissented,  putting  his 
hand  on  the  top  of  his  head  and  facetiously  saying  that  if 
someone  would  discover  something  that  would  make  the 
hair  grow  there,  it  would  be  worth  more  money  than  any 
invention  that  could  be  gotten  up.  Referring  to  Captain 
Hunt,  he  said: "  Here  is  Robert;  he  would  give  five  thousand 
dollars  for  it." 

Sometimes  we  were  joined  by  my  dear  friend  Eckley  B. 
Coxe,  who  though  not  a  steel  man  was  one  of  the  most 
able  and  distinguished  mining  engineers  our  country  has 
ever  known  —  a  man  so  highly  trained  scientifically,  so  full 
of  resource  and  suggestion  that  my  recollections  of  my 
conferences  with  him  are  an  ever  present  pleasure.  I 
delighted  to  have  him  and  Holley  together. 

In  connection  with  the  Bessemer  process  of  steel  manu- 
facture, it  is  interesting  to  note  that  although  the  credit 
of  it  is  generally  given  entirely  to  Sir  Henry  Bessemer,  of 
London,  England,  yet  an  American  inventor,  William 
Kelly,  had  experimented  for  a  number  of  years,  at  Eddy- 
ville,  Kentucky,  along  the  same  lines.  The  original  desire 
of  both  Sir  Henry  Bessemer  and  Mr.  Kelly  was  to  improve 


l62  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  quality  of  iron.    So  far  as  is  known,  neither  of  them  at 
that  time  had  in  view  the  manufacture  of  steel. 

When  Mr.  Bessemer  received  his  patent  in  this  country 
in  1856,  Mr.  Kelly  immediately  set  up  a  claim  of  priority 
of  invention,  and  supported  this  claim  with  an  account  of 
what  he  had  previously  done  at  his  forge  at  Eddyville, 
Kentucky. 

Mr.  Kelly  continued  his  Eddyville  experiments  at  Johns- 
town, at  the  Cambria  Iron  Works,  during  my  time  there. 
The  Bessemer  and  Kelly  claims  were  considered  by  the 
Commissioner  of  Patents,  and  Mr.  Kelly  was  granted  a 
patent  on  the  ground  of  priority,  and  in  1863  a  company, 
known  as  the  Kelly  Process  Company,  was  formed,  for  the 
purpose  of  making  steel  under  the  Kelly  patents. 

As  stated  before,  the  control  in  this  country  of  the  Bes- 
semer patents  was  obtained  in  1864  by  John  F.  Winslow, 
John  A.  Griswold,  and  Alexander  L.  Holley,  of  Troy,  N.  Y., 
and  the  firm  was  successful  in  1865  m  making  Bessemer 
steel  at  their  experimental  furnace  at  that  place.  A  com- 
promise was  arranged  between  them  and  the  Kelly  Process 
Company.  The  Bessemer  Company  attracted  more  general 
attention  than  the  Kelly  claims;  but  considerable  credit  is 
due  to  Mr.  Kelly  for  what  he  had  accomplished. 

Early  in  the  history  of  the  Bessemer  process  the  Bethle- 
hem Iron  Company  had  an  opportunity  to  make  a  long- 
time contract  with  the  Cornwall  people,  on  favorable  terms, 
for  a  quantity  of  suitable  ore,  but  the  directors  were  not 
then  disposed  to  do  so,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  we 
had  used  large  quantities  of  both  the  iron  and  the  ore,  and 
knew  them  to  be  good,  especially  as  a  mixture.  The 
directors  thought  we  could  buy  the  iron  and  the  ore  as 
we  wanted  them,  and  would  not  be  embarrassed  by  a  long 
contract.  At  that  time  we  were  the  only  people  who  knew 
how  valuable  the  Cornwall  ore  was.  The  other  Bessemer 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  163 

makers  were,  in  a  general  way,  fearful  of  the  sulphur,  but 
we  had  learned  that  for  rails  and  some  other  purposes  the 
sulphur  was  practically  quite  harmless,  and  that  we  could 
use  the  Cornwall  ore  to  great  advantage  up  to  one-half  of 
the  mixture.  The  other  Bessemer  people  soon  learned  that 
the  Bethlehem  Company  was  using  Cornwall  ore  largely  and 
doing  good  work,  consequently  they  got  to  using  it  and 
found  it  so  valuable  that  some  of  them  invested  largely  in 
the  Cornwall  ore  property.  This  was  much  to  our  detri- 
ment, as  it  was  about  all  that  we  could  do  to  get  the  proper 
material  to  make  the  special  high-grade  steel  that  we  had 
a  large  demand  for,  which  was  being  used  largely  in  place 
of  open-hearth  acid  steel;  in  fact,  it  was  the  best  steel  that 
at  that  time  was  being  made,  and  for  many  purposes  was 
preferred  to  crucible  steel. 

The  condition  of  affairs  as  to  the  quality  of  steel  we  were 
making  was  to  me  sickening,  as  it  had  at  all  times  been  the 
pride  of  my  profession  to  do  good  work  in  whatever  line  it 
might  lie.  But  here  I  found  myself  in  such  a  position  that, 
so  far  as  rails  were  concerned,  they  were  but  little,  if  any, 
better  than  the  greater  part  of  the  rails  that  were  being 
made,  and  were,  to  my  mind,  very  unsatisfactory.  At 
that  time  we  had  a  contract  for  high-carbon  rails,  which 
called  for  the  maximum  phosphorus  to  be  below  six  one- 
hundredths,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  the  phos- 
phorus could  be  kept  low  enough.  I  went  to  the  President 
of  the  company.  He  said  the  rails  were  as  good  as  any 
others  that  were  being  made.  I  told  him  that  the  rails 
were  being  made  under  a  contract,  and  that  if  they  did  not 
come  up  to  the  specifications  in  every  way  the  inspector 
would  not  accept  them.  I  said  we  must  have  some  Corn- 
wall iron,  or  some  other  that  was  equally  low  in  phosphorus. 
At  the  same  time  I  told  him  if  we  could  not  get  a  good  iron 
for  making  rails,  I  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  rail  mill, 


1 64  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

At  this  time  Mr.  Algernon  Roberts,  of  the  firm  of  A.  & 
P.  Roberts,  was  making  car  axles  at  the  Pencoyd  Iron 
Works.  He  told  me  the  trouble  the  firm  had  had  in  reduc- 
ing the  axles  in  the  middle  uniformly,  and  asked  if  I  could 
help  him  out  of  his  trouble.  Previous  to  this  Sir  Joseph 
Whitworth  had  invented  a  hydraulic  press  for  forging.  I 
had  made  up  my  mind  it  was  a  good  scheme  and  was  what 
Mr.  Roberts  wanted,  but  Mr.  Whitworth  would  neither 
make  one  nor  let  anyone  see  it.  I  also  understood  that 
Haswell  in  Vienna  was  using  some  kind  of  a  press  for  making 
heavy  drop  forgings,  using  a  press  instead  of  a  hammer, 
and  I  suggested  it  would  be  well  to  see  what  Mr.  Haswell 
was  doing.  Mr.  Roberts  was  so  much  interested  in  the 
press  that  he  and  Mr.  James  Dougherty  went  over  to  see  it. 
On  his  return  he  came  to  see  me,  and  said  he  did  not  think 
Haswell's  press  was  what  he  wanted.  I  asked  him  if  he 
could  get  the  drawings  of  what  Mr.  Haswell  was  doing. 
He  said  he  thought  he  could,  and  would  arrange  to  do  so, 
and  said  that  if  we  got  the  drawings  we  could  use  them  for 
the  purpose  he  wanted  them  for.  Unfortunately,  shortly 
after  our  conversation,  Mr.  Roberts  died  quite  suddenly, 
and  for  a  time  the  subject  was  dropped,  but  not  forgotten. 

The  condition  of  affairs  in  the  Bessemer  plant  was  most 
deplorable,  but  there  was  one  more  chance  to  get  quite  a 
large  quantity  of  Bessemer  acid  ore.  By  ceasing  to  make 
rails  and  by  being  able  to  get  high-grade  ores  in  sufficient 
quantities  to  supply  the  demand  we  had  for  high-quality 
steel,  we  could  do  a  profitable  business  in  that  line,  and  a 
satisfactory  one.  At  that  time  we  were  using  a  small 
quantity  of  an  ore  known  as  the  Tilly  Foster  ore,  but  the 
mine  was  in  such  bad  condition  that  only  a  small  quantity 
could  be  mined,  and  it  would  cost  much  money  to  put  it  in 
such  shape  that  a  large  amount  of  ore  could  be  gotten  out. 
The  ore  was  of  such  a  character  that  1  was  quite  sure  it  was 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP  JOHN  FRITZ  165 

a  good  business  proposition  to  spend  the  money  to  develop 
the  mine.  Consequently,  I  took  our  best  practical  mining 
experts  and  made  a  very  thorough  examination  of  the  mine 
and  an  estimate  of  the  cost  of  putting  it  in  such  shape 
that  a  large  amount  of  ore  could  be  taken  out  annually. 
As  I  now  remember,  the  estimate  was  about  $100,000,  not 
over  twenty-five  cents  per  ton  on  the  ore,  in  addition  to  the 
royalty.  Taking  the  quality  of  ore  into  consideration,  it 
was  a  very  cheap  ore.  The  proposition,  however,  did  not 
meet  the  approval  of  the  management  and  the  project  was 
dropped.  I  was  now  at  the  end  of  my  line  in  that  direction, 
and  told  our  management  that  it  was  not  possible  to  make 
good  special  steel  or  good  rails  out  of  such  material  as  we 
were  being  compelled  to  use.  In  reply  they  again  said  we 
were  making  as  good  rails  as  other  works  were  making,  and 
that  they  could  see  no  reason  why  we  should  make  them  any 
better.  I  told  them  the  work  we  were  doing  was  unsatis- 
factory to  me,  that  it  was  the  aim  of  my  life  in  whatever 
line  I  might  be  to  turn  out  good  work,  that  it  could  not  be 
done  with  the  material  we  were  using,  and  that  I  would  not 
be  responsible  for  the  result.  We  were  now  up  against  the 
real  thing  and  something  had  to  be  done.  My  reputation 
and  money  were  both  at  stake,  and  at  my  age  I  could  not 
afford  to  lose  either  of  them. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
OPEN-HEARTH  PROCESS. 

IN  1868  the  manufacture  of  acid  open-hearth  steel  com- 
menced. The  Siemens  regenerating  furnace  was  used,  and 
the  Martin  system,  generally  known  as  the  Siemens-Mar- 
tin process.  But  its  progress  was  slow,  as  it  followed  the 
Bessemer,  which  was  spectacular,  beautiful,  exciting,  and 
most  intensely  interesting  in  the  blowing  of  a  heat  of  metal. 
While  the  Siemens-Martin  process  is  scientific  and  simple, 
it  is  not  so  interesting  and  exciting  as  the  Bessemer  process, 
and  it  did  not  command  the  attention  and  respect  to  which 
it  was  entitled.  The  fact  that  the  Bessemer  had  been 
introduced  and  the  machinery  in  use,  and  the  knowledge 
gained  in  the  use  of  refractory  material  and  in  the  handling 
of  steel,  made  the  introduction  of  the  open-hearth  process 
easy  as  compared  with  the  Bessemer.  But  the  fact  that 
it  so  modestly  made  its  way  into  general  use  does  not  in  any 
way  detract  from  its  great  usefulness,  and  with  the  later 
introduction  of  the  Thomas  and  Gilchrist  basic  process 
and  its  application  to  the  Siemens  furnace,  the  basic  open- 
hearth  process  takes  rank  as  the  greatest  metallurgical 
discovery  of  the  age. 

Taking  into  consideration  the  character  of  our  ores  and 
coal,  and  their  geographical  location,  its  importance  at  once 
becomes  manifest.  It  is  the  most  important  and  valuable 
invention  that  has  yet  been  made  in  the  line  of  metallurgy. 
The  ores  that  can  be  used  in  the  basic  open-hearth  process 
are  known  to  exist  in  almost  every  state  in  the  Union,  while 

166 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  167 

the  ores  that  are  suitable  to  make  good  Bessemer  steel,  by 
the  acid  process,  are  very  limited,  so  far  as  is  known,  the 
phosphorus  of  most  American  ores  being  too  high  for  the 
Bessemer  acid  process.  The  rails  that  were  being  made  in 
this  country  by  the  Bessemer  process  were  generally  in- 
ferior in  quality,  and  the  time  was  near  when  the  railroads 
would  demand  a  higher  quality  of  rails,  and  they  necessarily 
had  to  be  made  in  the  basic  open-hearth  furnace.  The 
failure  to  make  steel  high  in  quality  is  not  due  to  the 
Bessemer  process,  but  to  the  difficulty  of  procuring  suitable 
ores,  phosphorus  being  the  most  baneful  element.  This 
fact  alone  placed  the  basic  process  in  the  lead,  where  it  will 
remain  until  some  other  startling  process  is  discovered. 
The  Thomas  and  Gilchrist  basic  process,  the  greatest  metal- 
lurgical discovery  of  the  age,  in  connection  with  the  Siemens 
open-hearth  furnace,  has  taken  the  lead  of  all  other  known 
processes  in  the  manufacture  of  steel. 

In  or  about  1871,  Mr.  Leach  of  Boston  called  on  me  at 
Bethlehem  to  have  a  talk  over  the  Siemens  regenerative 
gas  furnace,  for  which  he  was  the  agent  in  this  country. 
I  wanted  to  use  it  in  the  Bethlehem  plant.  After  he  had 
agreed  on  the  price  I  told  him  the  roof  was  too  low  to  get 
perfect  combustion  and  that  I  would  make  it  much  higher. 
He  at  once  said,  "  Do  you  pretend  to  know  more  than  Dr. 
Siemens?  "  I  told  him,  "  No,  I  wish  I  knew  half  as  much 
as  he  did."  But  I  told  him  further  that  I  had  puddled  and 
heated  more  iron  than  Dr.  Siemens  had,  and  had  had  more 
experience  in  rolling-mill  practice  where  great  heat  was 
required ;  but  Mr.  Leach  was  not  willing  to  let  me  make  any 
change  in  the  construction.  He  went  over  to  New  York, 
called  on  Mr.  Abram  S.  Hewitt,  and  told  him  what  had 
passed  between  us  in  regard  to  the  furnace.  Mr.  Hewitt 
advised,  "  You  go  back  to  Bethlehem  and  tell  Fritz  to 
make  any  changes  he  wants."  Mr.  Leach  returned  to 


168  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

Bethlehem  and  told  me  exactly  what  Mr.  Hewitt  had  said. 
We  thereon  compromised  on  a  straight  roof,  but  I  didn't 
build  it,  as  I  knew  it  wasn't  right.  When  we  came  to 
build  the  furnace  I  built  it  just  as  I  wanted  it,  and  it  was 
eminently  successful. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
BLOOMING  MILL. 

IN  1872  the  writer  built  a  blooming  mill  in  Bethlehem, 
and  having  had  the  experience  of  both  the  Holley  mill  at 
Troy  and  the  Fritz  mill  at  Cambria  and  a  large  rolling-mill 
experience,  made  some  important  changes,  —  making  all 
the  three  rolls  fixed,  with  grooves  in  the  rolls  corresponding 
with  the  work  in  reduction  we  wanted  to  put  on  each  groove, 
avoiding  the  use  of  screws  altogether,  except  for  adjustment 
of  the  rolls,  —  a  great  saving  in  cost  in  construction  and 
repairs.  I  had  an  aversion  to  cog  gear  of  any  kind,  and 
the  spur  gears  with  idlers  to  keep  the  motion  of  the  rollers 
in  the  proper  direction,  adopted  in  both  the  Holley  and  my 
brother's  mill  (at  Cambria),  had  one  serious  defect.  The 
gear  on  the  roll  to  which  the  power  was  attached  had  to 
transmit  the  power  to  drive  all  the  rolls  in  the  table,  the 
power  being  transmitted  from  the  first  roller  to  the  second 
by  an  idler,  and  so  on  to  the  last  roll  in  the  table.  The 
strain  increased  until  it  was  so  difficult  to  keep  things  in 
order  that  some  change  in  the  system  of  driving  the  rollers 
was  necessary,  and  there  was  no  practical  way  of  doing  it 
without  the  use  of  cog  gear  of  some  form.  In  the  spur-gear 
system  the  idler  was  necessary,  but  the  idlers  gave  so  much 
trouble,  and  they  became  such  an  abominable  nuisance, 
that  some  device  had  to  be  adopted  to  get  rid  of  them.  As 
it  was  impossible  at  that  time  to  drive  the  mill  without  cog 
gear  in  some  form,  I  adopted  the  mitered  system  and  put 
a  miter-gear  wheel  on  the  end  of  each  roller  shaft  in  the 
table,  as  large  in  diameter  as  could  be  readily  put  in,  then 

169 


170  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

placed  a  shaft  in  line  with  the  center  of  the  rollers,  and 
parallel  with  the  table;  on  this  shaft  I  put  a  wheel  cast  off 
the  same  pattern  as  on  the  rollers  to  gear  into  each  wheel 
on  the  rollers  in  the  table,  the  shaft  transmitting  the  power 
separately  to  each  roller  in  the  table,  instead  of  driving  all 
the  rollers  through  a  system  of  idlers  from  one  driven  spur 
wheel  on  the  first  roller  in  the  table,  thus  avoiding  the  tre- 
mendous strain  on  the  first  gear,  the  great  amount  of 
friction,  the  great  expense  in  repairs,  the  loss  of  time  while 
repairs  were  being  made,  and  a  great  waste  of  power. 

The  power  used  for  driving  the  rollers  in  the  table  was 
taken  from  the  same  engine  that  drove  the  train.  It  was 
transmitted  to  the  rollers  by  a  belt  on  the  flywheel  shaft, 
which  drove  a  horizontal  shaft  that  conveyed  the  power 
to  a  set  of  friction  clutches  properly  secured  to  the  roll 
housing,  which,  in  turn,  connected  with  a  square  vertical 
shaft  on  which  was  placed  a  bevel  cog-gear  wheel,  loose, 
which  geared  into  a  wheel  on  the  shaft  of  one  of  the  end 
rollers  on  the  table,  it  becoming  the  driver,  through  the 
idlers,  of  all  the  rollers  in  the  table.  The  reversing  of 
rollers  in  the  tables  was  done  by  friction  clutches,  which  were 
always  a  source  of  trouble.  The  raising  and  lowering  of 
the  tables  at  that  time  was  a  most  difficult  problem  to  solve. 
They  had  to  be  moved  up  and  down  a  distance  equal  to  the 
diameter  of  the  working  rolls,  at  that  time  about  thirty-two 
inches,  and  they  had  to  run  at  any  point  within  this  dis- 
tance, both  back  and  forth.  It  was  this  which  caused  so 
much  trouble  and  expense.  It  was  not  possible  to  do  this 
with  machinery  for  driving  a  positive  fixture,  and  it  must  in 
some  way  have  a  yielding  point  automatically  adjusted. 

The  first  and  most  important  thing  was  to  get  rid  of  the 
idlers,  and  by  the  use  of  the  parallel  shaft  and  miter  gear 
we  most  effectively  obviated  them.  The  next  thing  to  do 
was  to  get  rid  of  the  friction  clutches,  which  were  a  great 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  171 

source  of  trouble,  and  also  of  all  the  complicated  machinery 
for  conveying  the  power  to  the  rollers  in  the  tables.  The 
next  and  most  important  thing  to  do  to  make  the  bloom- 
ing mill  a  grand  success  was  a  plan  to  convey  the  power 
to  the  rollers  that  would  permit  the  raising  and  lowering 
of  the  tables  and  would  at  the  same  time  drive  them  at  any 
and  all  points  within  the  travel  of  the  tables.  The  device 
must  be  automatic,  simple,  and  effective.  All  these  com- 
binations made  quite  a  difficult  problem  to  solve.  A 
number  of  plans  were  suggested  in  my  mind,  and  were  well 
thought  over,  but  all  lacked  the  one  all-important  element 
of  simplicity,  which  I  had  in  view  when  we  started  to  build 
the  mill. 

I  destroyed  all  the  bridges  as  I  crossed  over  them.  One 
plan  was  to  use  the  power  from  the  main  engine  to  drive 
the  rollers  in  the  table.  The  friction  clutches  for  driving 
and  reversing  the  rolls  were  another  problem  —  both  had 
to  be  arranged  for.  The  power  to  be  used  for  driving  the 
table  rollers  must  be  separate  and  must  be  used  for  no  other 
purpose  whatever.  A  two-cylinder  engine  of  the  proper 
size  was  the  most  simple  way  of  getting  the  power,  and  by 
making  it  reverse,  the  friction  clutches  were  dispensed  with 
and  became  a  curiosity  of  the  past. 

The  only  thing  that  remained  to  be  done  was  to  get  some 
simple  way  of  conveying  the  power  from  the  engine  to  the 
table,  and  here  for  a  time  there  seemed  to  be  an  insurmount- 
able difficulty  in  the  way.  As  the  rollers  were  not  station- 
ary or  fixed,  having  to  move  up  and  down,  and  to  revolve  at 
will  in  either  direction,  it  was  not  possible  to  have  a  fixed 
or  positive  connection  of  the  power  between  the  engine  and 
the  table,  as  the  distance  between  them  increased  and 
diminished  as  the  table  was  raised  or  lowered.  Many  plans 
to  get  over  this  trouble  were  suggested  and  thought  over, 
but  all  were  complicated,  and  would  surely  be  difficult 


172  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

to  be  kept  in  order  —  something  that  must  be  avoided. 
At  this  stage,  things  looked  as  if  there  was  trouble  ahead, 
and  something  had  to  be  done,  mechanically  or  otherwise. 

I  now  took  into  consideration  that  the  variation  in  the 
distance  between  the  driving  and  the  driven  points  was 
short,  say  about  eight  feet,  and  I  at  once  concluded  to  put 
a  pulley  on  the  engine  and  one  on  the  horizontal  shaft  on 
the  table  which  drove  the  rollers,  and  connect  them  with 
a  belt,  and  put  a  tightener  on  the  belt  to  keep  it  uniformly 
taut.  The  arrangement  was  so  complete  and  so  satis- 
factory that  I  felt  somewhat  abashed  to  think  I  had  spent 
so  much  time  over  what  seemed  to  be  such  a  difficult 
problem,  and  yet  in  the  end  was  so  perfectly  simple.  But 
I  remembered  that  Mr.  Holley  and  my  brother  George, 
both  able  men,  had  each  of  them  built  a  blooming  mill,  and 
had  doubtless  given  the  same  problem  much  thought.;  and 
yet,  since  they  used  a  complicated  scheme  for  the  same 
purpose,  they  could  not  have  thought  of  anything  so  per- 
fectly simple.  This  was,  in  a  measure,  a  panacea  for  my 
wounded  feelings,  as  one  of  them  was  a  dear  friend  and  the 
other  a  brother.  In  the  next  mill  that  Mr.  Holley  built,  he 
used  a  geared  device  so  arranged  as  to  accommodate  the 
variable  distance  between  the  engine  and  the  table,  in  place 
of  belt  and  tightener;  this  answered  the  purpose  equally 
well,  and  was  much  more  mechanical. 

This  blooming  mill  was  a  complete  success  and  was  ca- 
pable of  doing  a  very  large  amount  of  work  with  moderate- 
sized  ingots,  such  as  were  being  used  at  the  time  it  was  built. 
But  for  large  ingots  and  a  great  variety  of  work  such  as 
is  being  called  for  at  this  time,  the  reversing  mill  with 
adjustable  top  roll  is  preferable. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
STRUCTURAL  AND  PLATE  MILL. 

AFTER  the  steel  plant  was  completed  and  doing  splendid 
work,  and  well  knowing  the  want  and  importance  of  a  good 
structural  mill,  I  turned  my  attention  to  that  subject.  At 
that  time  the  flanges  of  the  beams  and  channels  were  so 
narrow  and  the  angle  of  the  flanges  so  great  that  it  was 
difficult  to  construct  sections  that  had  to  be  riveted  to- 
gether; this  was  not  only  embarrassing  to  the  engineer,  but 
was  an  impediment  in  the  advancement  of  his  profession, 
and  any  difficulty  that  stands  in  the  way  of  progress  in  any 
line  of  business  should,  if  possible,  be  overcome.  Con- 
sequently, I  took  up  the  subject  of  structural  material  and 
had  drawings  made  of  beams  and  channels,  with  wider  and 
lighter  flanges  and  with  less  angle,  so  that  they  could  be 
punched  without  difficulty  and  be  riveted  together  readily. 
I  also  designed  a  mill  and  rolls  that  would  roll  them  out  of  a 
square  steel  ingot.  In  fact,  the  sections  and  manner  of 
rolling  standard  shapes  that  I  then  proposed  were  practi- 
cally what  is  being  done  at  the  present  time. 

I  showed  the  whole  scheme  to  some  of  our  ablest  engineers, 
and  they  indorsed  it  most  emphatically,  and  urged  me  to 
get  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Company  to  go  into  the  business. 
One  of  the  oldest  and  ablest,  Charles  Macdonald,  said  that 
if  they  would,  and  would  make  shapes  of  sections  such  as  I 
showed,  he  would  put  up  at  Bethlehem  a  structural  machine 
shop  for  the  manufacture  of  members  of  bridges  and  build- 
ings and  equip  it  with  tools,  and  the  conveniences  for  han- 
dling and  facilitating  the  work,  that  would  surpass  any 

173 


174  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

shop  of  the  kind  there  was  in  the  country.  I  urged  the  com- 
pany with  all  the  eloquent  language  I  could  command,  but 
with  no  effect.  Then  I  tried  compulsion,  by  saying  it 
was  absolutely  essential  for  the  permanent  success  of  the 
company  to  have  some  diversity  in  their  business.  This 
raised  a  question,  and  I  was  asked  if  I  knew  how  many  tons 
of  structural  material  was  made  in  a  year  in  the  country. 
I  told  them  I  did  not  know,  and  did  not  care,  but  there  was 
one  thing  I  did  know,  —  that  there  was  not  a  proper  section 
of  beams  or  channels  in  the  country,  or  a  proper  mill  to  roll 
them,  that  the  use  of  structural  material  for  building  pur- 
poses was  in  its  infancy,  and  that  steel  was  the  material 
that  was  going  to  be  used  for  the  purpose,  in  the  near  future. 

When  the  steel  plant  was  built  I  arranged  for  a  mill  that 
small  sizes  of  beams  and  channels  could  be  rolled  on,  and 
also  put  up  a  mill  that  larger  ingots  could  be  rolled  on,  so 
as  to  make  the  proper  shapes  to  roll  the  larger  sections  of 
beams  and  channels  out  of,  knowing  that  in  France  they 
were  rolling  beams  of  great  width  with  thin  and  wide  flanges. 
This  fact  greatly  increased  my  desire  to  go  into  the  business, 
as  wide  sections  with  wide  flanges  were  what  were  wanted 
in  the  engineering  line.  But  it  was  no  use,  and  some  of  the 
directors  said  I  was  never  satisfied,  but  must  be  at  some- 
thing new,  and  could  not  let  well  enough  alone.  So  for  the 
time  I  let  the  subject  drop. 

Some  years  later,  when  the  Gray  and  York  system  of  roll- 
ing wide  sections  with  wide,  thin,  and  parallel  flanges  first 
came  up,  I  at  once  investigated  the  principle,  and  to  my  mind 
it  appeared  a  much  more  complete  system  than  the  French, 
and  I  once  more  ventured  to  call  the  attention  of  our  people 
to  the  plan.  The  mention  of  it,  however,  met  opposition, 
and  I  thought  it  best  not  to  pursue  the  subject  further. 

Some  years  later,  one  of  the  directors  (a  railroad  man) 
came  to  me,  saying,  "  You  iron  men  are  the  most  incon- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  175 

sistent  men  in  the  country."  I  said,  "  What  now?  "  He 
said,  "  You  are  at  all  times  preaching  protection,  and  I  now 
want  some  four-by-six-inch  angles  and  cannot  get  them 
short  of  going  to  England  for  them."  I  ventured  to  say 
rather  facetiously,  "  If  you  had  let  me  go  into  the  structural 
business,  you  could  get  any  shapes  you  wanted."  I  then 
said,  "  How  long  do  you  want  them?  "  He  said,  "  It  is 
useless  to  talk  about  them.  I  have  tried  all  the  best  mills 
in  the  country  and  they  can't  make  them."  "Well,"  I 
replied,  "  tell  me  how  long  you  want  them  and  in  less  than 
two  weeks'  time  you  will  have  them  in  any  lengths  you  want 
them,  and  you  can't  get  them  from  England  at  best  short 
of  four  weeks."  I  at  once  ordered  a  set  of  rolls  turned  up, 
and  in  about  the  time  named  we  sent  for  him  to  come  and 
see  the  four-by-six-inch  angle,  some  eighty  feet  in  length, 
and  see  if  it  was  all  right,  and  would  suit  him.  He  came  to 
see  it  and  was  much  pleased  with  it.  He  said  he  would  give 
us  a  list  of  what  he  wanted  and  give  us  the  order,  and  said 
he  thought  the  longest  of  them  would  be  between  fifty  and 
sixty  feet.  I  told  him  we  could  roll  them  one  hundred  feet 
if  he  should  want  them.  This  was  the  first  four-by-six-inch 
angle  that  was  rolled  in  this  country.  They  were  rolled  in 
the  old  mill  on  the  twenty-one-inch  train,  and  I  must  con- 
fess we  were  all  a  little  proud  of  the  result. 

The  Bethlehem  Iron  Company  made  many  mistakes,  but 
their  refusal  to  go  into  the  manufacture  of  structural  mate- 
rial at  the  time  alluded  to  was  to  my  mind  the  greatest. 
Later  Mr.  C.  M.  Schwab  acquired  the  entire  property,  and 
erected  a  structural  steel  plant,  which  is  now  in  success- 
ful operation. 

Shortly  after  I  had  failed  to  get  the  company  to  go  into 
the  rolling  of  structural  material,  I  suggested  the  propriety 
of  building  a  plate  mill,  as  plates  of  large  size  and  high-grade 
in  quality  and  finish  were  wanted.  I  said  that  in  the 


1 76  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

future  ships  of  all  kinds  and  classes  would  be  built  of  iron 
or  steel,  and  the  demand  for  plate  must  necessarily  be  great. 
In  talking  with  one  of  the  directors,  who  was  a  large  stock- 
holder, I  found  him  favorably  inclined  toward  the  project, 
so  much  so  that  I  concluded  to  get  up  a  complete  set  of 
drawings  of  a  mill  and  a  general  plan  for  the  layout.  I 
knew  that  plates  were  in  demand,  and  the  demand  was  sure 
to  increase,  and  there  was  great  money  in  the  business.  I 
thought  it  would  be  well  to  have  a  set  of  drawings  and 
ground  plan  made,  but  the  plate-mill  scheme,  for  the  time, 
came  to  an  abrupt  end. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
FORGE  AND  ARMOR-PLATE  PLANT. 

AFTER  the  failure  to  get  the  company  to  go  into  the 
manufacture  of  structural  material  and  the  plate  business, 
I  concluded  that  it  would  be  well  to  give  them  time  for 
consideration  before  making  any  further  suggestions. 
Some  one  or  two  years  later  I  called  the  company's  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  there  was  not  a  forge  plant  in  the 
country  where  a  ten-inch  shaft  could  be  properly  forged. 
The  heaviest  hammers  that  were  in  use  for  forging  were  of 
about  ten  or  twelve  tons,  but  they  were  entirely  too  light 
for  heavy  forging.  In  order  to  make  the  blow  more  effec- 
tive, steam  was  used  on  the  top  of  the  piston,  which  for 
forging  heavy  shafting  was  worse  than  useless,  as  the  blow 
is  so  quick  that  the  center  does  not  receive  the  full  force 
of  it,  and  the  tendency  is  to  create  longitudinal  seams  and 
circumferential  cracks;  the  center,  not  receiving  the  full 
force  of  the  blow,  is  in  a  measure  elongated  by  the  tension 
of  the  outer  portion  of  the  shaft.  Knowing  this  to  be  the 
fact,  I  did  not  use  either  wrought-iron  or  steel  shafting  that 
was  forged  under  a  light  hammer,  but  always,  where  great 
strength  was  required,  used  air-furnace  castings  made  out 
of  the  best  cold-blast  charcoal  iron  that  it  was  possible  to 
get,  and  in  my  long  experience  I  never  had  one  fail.  In 
some  instances,  where  iron  forgings  failed  we  replaced  them 
with  air-furnace  castings,  and  they  gave  no  trouble. 

I  have  known  wrought-iron  forged  shafts  to  fail  and  be 
replaced  by  cast-iron  shafts  which  never  gave  any  trouble, 
and  a  person  giving  the  subject  any  serious  consideration 
will  see  at  once  why  a  cast-iron  shaft  should  be  safer  and 

177 


178  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

better  than  one  of  wrought  iron  as  they  used  to  be  forged. 
In  the  first  place,  by  the  use  of  good  iron,  intelligently 
melted,  in  an  air  furnace,  you  can  get  a  tensile  strength  of 
32,000  pounds  per  square  inch,  and  with  a  proper  sink-head 
you  can  get  a  practically  solid  casting,  and  I  might  add, 
homogeneous  and  close  in  the  grain;  while,  as  I  have  already 
stated,  the  forged  shaft  of  that  day  would  in  all  probability 
be  unsound  in  the  center  and  coarse-grained,  and  its  tensile 
strength  little  greater,  if  any,  than  cast  iron. 

I  shall  now  refer  to  a  single  experience  I  had,  believing 
that  a  brief  description  giving  the  reasons  why  I  used 
wrought-iron  and  steel  shafts  in  place  of  cast  iron,  which 
had  for  over  forty  years  served  me  well,  will  be  both  in- 
teresting and  instructive. 

The  reason  for  using  wrought  iron  and  steel  in  place  of 
cast  iron  was  that  I  wanted  a  three-throw  crank  for  a 
three-cylinder  engine,  and  I  had  to  use  a  built-up  crank, 
as  at  that  time  I  could  not  get  any  other  in  this  country. 
As  the  stroke  of  the  engine  was  rather  short,  it  reduced  the 
distance  from  center  of  shaft  to  center  of  crank  pin,  so  that 
the  shafts  had  to  be  kept  down  to  the  smallest  possible  size, 
in  order  to  get  sufficient  metal  between  the  holes  to  give 
the  cranks  the  required  strength  between  the  shaft  and  the 
crank  pin. 

As  steel  at  that  time  was  more  expensive  than  wrought 
iron,  I  concluded  to  make  the  main  shaft  and  first  crank  pin 
out  of  steel,  and  the  others  out  of  wrought  iron.  Not 
having  at  that  time  any  overflow  of  confidence  in  either 
forged  iron  or  steel  shafts,  and  being  anxious  to  get  the  best 
that  could  possibly  be  gotten,  I  consulted  a  friend,  who  was 
using  steel  shafts,  and  asked  him  where  was  the  best  place 
in  this  country  to  get  them.  He  kindly  advised  me  where 
to  go  for  the  steel  shaft  and  crank  pin,  and  I  took  his  advice 
and  ordered  them.  The  iron  shafts  and  pins  were  ordered 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

from  what  I  considered,  at  that  time,  the  best  forge  plant 
in  the  country. 

Having  had  some  previous  experience,  in  a  small  way, 
with  both  metals,  with  results  not  altogether  lovely,  I 
thought  it  prudent  to  see  in  what  condition  the  metal  was 
in  the  center.  In  order  to  show  this,  a  hole  about  four 
inches  in  diameter  was  bored  through  the  center  of  them  all, 
seven  in  number,  five  iron  and  two  steel,  and  all  were  found 
to  be  unsound  in  the  center.  In  the  iron  the  imperfections 
ran  longitudinally  and  the  four-inch  hole  practically  cleaned 
them  out.  The  steel  shaft,  which  was  about  fourteen 
inches  in  diameter  and  some  twelve  feet  long,  proved  so 
unsound  in  the  four-inch  hole,  as  there  were  imperfections 
in  the  form  of  large  cracks  or  circumferential  openings,  that 
the  hole  was  enlarged  to  about  six  and  one-half  inches. 
Some  of  the  imperfections  were  still  visible.  The  position 
of  the  shaft  was  such,  when  in  use,  that,  should  it  give  way, 
it  would  not  be  likely  to  do  any  serious  damage,  so  we  con- 
cluded to  use  it.  When  the  hole  was  bored  through  the 
steel  crank  pin,  the  imperfections  showed  so  badly  that  we 
placed  it  on  the  planer  and  cut  it  in  half  lengthwise.  It 
was  full  of  circumferential  cracks,  some  of  them  extending 
almost  to  the  edge.  It  was  frightful  to  a  person  who  was 
contemplating  the  building  of  a  forge  plant,  for  the  purpose 
of  making  steel  forgings,  as  I  was  at  that  time.  The  result 
was  not  entirely  unexpected,  as  my  experience  in  making 
steel  and  in  heating,  rolling,  and  forging  had  already  con- 
vinced me  that  it  would  require  great  skill  and  still  greater 
care  to  prevent  internal  imperfections  in  the  steel  forgings, 
yet  I  was  not  prepared  to  witness  anything  approaching 
the  condition  which  the  splitting  of  this  forging  revealed. 
This  was  a  revelation  to  the  engineers  that  saw  it,  and  at 
the  same  time  it  furnished  an  argument  in  favor  of  a  large 
forging  plant  that  could  not  be  gainsaid. 


i8o 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 


The  chemical  analysis  of  the  steel,  if  I  remember  correctly, 
was  very  good.  There  had  been  some  blowholes  in  the 
ingot,  as  there  are  in  too  many  of  them.  To  my  mind  the 
trouble  was  almost  entirely  to  be  attributed  to  two  causes. 
First,  the  ingot  had  been  charged  in  a  hot  furnace  and 


FIG.  8.  —  SECTION  OF  STEEL  SHAFT  SHOWING  IMPERFECTIONS  IN 
FORGING. 

heated  up  too  quickly,  pulling  the  center  apart,  thereby 
causing  the  cracks.  Second,  as  the  ingot  was  forged  under 
a  light  hammer,  in  all  probability  using  steam  on  top  of  the 
piston  (which  gives  a  quick  stroke  and  does  not  give  the 
metal  time  to  flow  or  to  reach  the  center,  thereby  elongating 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  l8l 

the  outside  more  rapidly  than  the  interior),  the  imperfec- 
tions, whatever  they  might  be,  being  the  weaker  parts, 
were  drawn  more  rapidly  than  the  more  perfect  parts  of  the 
ingot,  consequently  the  imperfections  were  greatly  aug- 
mented. 

Mr.  Durfee  once  read  a  paper  before  the  Franklin  Insti- 
tute, on  the  conditions  which  cause  wrought  iron  to  be 
fibrous  and  steel  low  in  carbon  to  be  crystalline,  and  a  most 
admirable  paper  it  is,  and  one  which  every  maker  and  user 
of  steel  should  read  and  study.  In  regard  to  unsound  ingots, 
he  says  it  is  a  common  opinion  that  one  of  the  reasons  why 
steel  forgings  are  often  found  hollow  in  the  interior  is  the 
failure  to  work  them  under  a  sufficiently  heavy  hammer, 
but  no  hammer  can  do  more  than  aggravate  the  evil  of 
internal  ruptures  in  ingots  of  steel.  This  is  well  said,  and  a 
truth  that  cannot  be  gainsaid.  It  was  imperfect  ingots, 
lack  of  knowledge  in  heating  and  forging,  and  also  the  want 
of  skill  to  treat  the  forgings  properly  after  they  were  made, 
that  caused  so  many  failures  in  steel  forgings  only  a  few 
years  ago,  and  caused  many  people  to  think  and  believe 
that  there  was  some  mysterious  uncertainty  in  the  metal, 
and,  consequently,  to  discard  its  use  altogether.  To  some 
extent,  this  impression  is  still  in  existence.  To  my  surprise, 
only  a  short  time  ago  quite  a  prominent  engineer  told  me 
that  he  was  still  using  wrought-iron  shafts. 

The  experience  with  the  steel  shaft  brought  the  system 
of  hydraulic  forging,  before  alluded  to,  most  vividly  to  my 
mind  again,  but  unfortunately  Mr.  Roberts,  who  was  re- 
ferred to  in  a  former  chapter,  was  no  more.  Consequently 
I  went  to  the  Pencoyd  Works,  with  which  Mr.  Roberts  had 
been  connected,  but  as  he  had  died  suddenly  the  matter 
had  been  dropped  and  I  could  get  no  information  from  them. 
I  then  went  to  see  Mr.  James  Dougherty,  the  gentleman 
who  went  with  Mr.  Roberts  to  Vienna,  but  could  get  no 


1 82  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

information  from  him,  as  he  said  that  what  little  he  had 
known  at  the  time  of  his  visit  had  passed  from  his  mind. 

This  being  the  true  condition  of  affairs,  as  they  existed 
in  the  country,  I  concluded  to  try  to  get  the  directors  to 
build  a  forge  plant,  using  the  foregoing  in  argument  to 
prove  that  a  good  forge  plant  was  a  necessity,  was  practi- 
cable, and  desirable.  For  a  time  I  thought  I  was  at  last 
going  to  be  successful,  as  the  General  Manager  seemed  to 
favor  the  project;  but  all  at  once  he  changed  his  views, 
giving  as  a  reason  that  the  President  was  opposed  to  going 
into  anything  new.  The  President  was  a  nice  old  gentleman 
and  I  liked  him  very  much;  he  was  a  man  of  commanding 
appearance,  was  intelligent,  and  could  gain  access  to  a  busy 
railroad  president  when  others  less  favored  by  nature  and 
culture  had  to  wait.  He  managed  the  business  affairs  of 
the  company  as  they  then  existed  most  admirably,  but  in 
looking  to  the  future  it  took  a  clear  day  for  him  to  discern 
anything  whatever  that  would  be  likely  to  make  a  change 
in  the  business  of  the  company,  consequently  I  was  doomed 
to  failure  again.  This  was  a  dark  hour  for  me. 

For  a  time  the  situation  seemed  hopeless,  and  had  it  been 
manly  I  would  have  given  up  the  whole  matter.  But  the 
condition  of  the  country  was  such  that  it  was  apparent  to 
my  mind  that  a  good  forge  and  armor-plate  plant  was 
indispensable  —  I  had  armor  plate  in  my  mind  from  the  be- 
ginning. Practically  speaking,  we  were  in  a  most  defense- 
less condition,  having  neither  a  navy  nor  modern  guns  for 
land  or  coast  defense.  We  were  at  the  mercy  of  the  world, 
—  a  disgraceful  condition  for  a  great  nation  to  be  in.  But 
after  every  suggestion  that  I  had  made  had  been  turned  down, 
it  seemed  like  a  forlorn  hope  to  attempt  resurrection.  Hav- 
ing fully  considered  the  importance  of  a  great  forging  plant 
to  the  country,  I  was  well  prepared  to  meet  any  objection. 

I  then  concluded  that  I  would  try  our  management  from 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  183 

a  patriotic  standpoint,  but  that  did  not  seem  to  take,  as 
some  of  the  directors  belonged  to  a  sect  that  was  opposed 
to  fighting  in  any  way  or  manner.  But  I  thought,  from 
what  some  of  the  directors  had  previously  said  and  what 
others  did  not  say,  that  a  strong  presentation  of  the  case 
might  set  them  to  thinking. 

Armor  plate  was  one  of  the  things  the  Government  must 
have,  and  as  iron  was  useless  in  front  of  modern  steel  shot 
and  shells,  steel  must  be  the  material  that  would  be  sub- 
stituted for  it.  We  knew  that  for  steel  where  close  grain 
and  hard  surface  were  desired,  as  is  required  for  armor 
plates,  the  hammer  was  superior  to  rolls  or  press.  The 
face  of  the  armor  should  be  close-grained  and  harder  than 
the  back,  and  as  the  hammer  side  of  a  plate  is  closer  in 
grain  than  the  anvil  side,  a  plate  made  under  a  hammer 
would  be  harder  on  one  side  than  a  plate  made  in  the  rolls 
or  press.  Therefore,  the  hammer  was  then  superior  to  the 
rolls  or  press  for  armor  plates.  (This  was  before  the  inven- 
tion and  introduction  of  the  Harvey  process.)  This  fact 
was  somewhat  encouraging,  as  there  were  no  patents  to 
interfere  and  we  could  build  the  hammer  ourselves.  I  now 
brought  the  forge  and  armor  plant  to  the  front  again,  but 
was  met  by  the  old  ghost  of  failure,  sheriff,  or  assignee,  or 
the  argument  "  better  let  well  enough  alone,"  which  is 
death  to  all  progress.  But  some  of  the  directors  were  not 
quite  so  outspoken  against  the  scheme  as  formerly. 

About  this  time  my  friend,  Mr.  Charles  Brodhead,  told 
me  about  William  H.  Jaques,  a  bright  young  Lieutenant 
in  the  Navy,  who  was  Secretary  of  the  Gun  Foundry  Board, 
during  its  visit  to  Europe  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  the  best 
plants  for  the  manufacture  of  ordnance,  and  such  other  ma- 
terial as  was  necessary  for  the  complete  equipment  of  the 
United  States  Navy.  Among  the  many  plants  they  visited 
was  Sir  Joseph  Whitworth's,  where  they  were  cordially 


1 84  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

received,  and  were  most  favorably  impressed  with  the  plant 
and  what  they  saw.  Up  to  the  time  of  their  visit  no 
strangers  had  been  permitted  inside  of  the  Whitworth 
shops,  but  the  Board  were  not  only  admitted  into  the  shops 
but  were  shown  everything  they  wished  to  see.  Lieutenant 
Jaques  got  a  contract  from  Sir  Joseph  Whitworth,  giving 
him  personally  authority  to  build  a  plant  in  the  United 
States,  the  Whitworth  Works  to  furnish  plans  for  the  plant 
and  build  the  forging  presses,  a  fluid-compression  press,  the 
machine  tools,  and  all  the  necessities  for  the  equipment  of 
a  complete  forging  plant.  To  Lieutenant  Jaques  is  due  the 
main  credit  for  our  subsequent  acquisition  of  the  Whitworth 
system  of  forging. 

Some  time  after  the  Board  returned  home,  Lieutenant 
Jaques  came  to  Bethlehem  to  talk  over  the  subject  of 
building  a  forge  plant  at  Bethlehem,  under  his  contract 
with  Sir  Joseph  Whitworth.  This  was  just  what  I  wanted 
and  what  the  country  in  some  way  must  have.  I  well  knew 
it  would  be  the  fight  of  my  life  to  carry  it  through,  as  it 
was  a  forlorn  hope,  but  I  made  up  my  mind  to  enter  the 
arena  with  sleeves  rolled  up  to  do  or  die,  as  something  must 
be  done.  I  could  plainly  see  the  end  of  the  acid  Bessemer 
everywhere,  and  especially  with  us,  as  the  company  had  let 
every  ore  property  that  was  available  and  suitable  for  the 
Bessemer  process  pass  beyond  their  control,  and  the  end 
was  in  sight. 

When  Mr.  Jaques  was  in  Bethlehem  he  was  introduced 
to  Mr.  Alfred  Hunt,  who  was  at  that  time  President  of  the 
Bethlehem  Iron  Company.  Mr.  Hunt  was  very  much  of 
a  gentleman  and  knew  how  to  meet  any  person  from  a  king 
to  a  beggar.  Of  course,  he  treated  Mr.  Jaques  politely, 
but  said  little  that  was  in  any  way  encouraging;  he  finally 
said  the  subject  was  "  significant,"  and  that  he  would  bring 
it  before  the  directors  but  without  recommendation. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  185 

The  Board  meeting  was  held  monthly,  and  so  it  happened, 
as  I  remember,  that  it  was  some  ten  days  or  two  weeks 
before  a  meeting  would  take  place.  In  the  meantime,  there 
was  much  talk  between  the  directors,  singly  and  myself, 
but  it  seemed  to  have  but  little  if  any  effect.  At  length  the 
time  of  the  regular  Board  meeting  came,  but  what  they 
said  I  did  not  know.  After  the  meeting  was  over  I  talked 
with  the  directors  singly  again.  Some  of  them  thought  the 
Lieutenant  was  bright  but  young  and  inexperienced  and 
not  a  safe  adviser,  as  he  knew  nothing  in  regard  to  the 
practical  working  of  such  a  plant;  they  said  it  was  so  dif- 
ferent from  what  we  were  doing  that  we  would  have  to 
teach  all  new  men,  which  would  be  very  costly,  and  they 
could  not  see  where  the  work  to  keep  such  a  vast  plant  as  I 
wanted  to  build  was  to  be  secured,  and  did  not  know  where 
the  money  was  to  come  from  to  build  it,  and  the  chances 
were,  it  would  be  a  failure  and  the  whole  plant  would  get 
into  the  hands  of  the  sheriff  or  assignee,  or  some  other 
ghostly  bugaboo. 

But  I  was  favorably  impressed  with  what  Mr.  Jaques  told 
me  about  the  plant,  what  Whitworth's  works  were  doing, 
and  how  kindly  the  Gun  Foundry  Board  had  been  treated 
by  the  people  connected  with  those  works,  and  with  the 
fact  that  Mr.  Jaques  had  a  contract  giving  him  permission 
and  all  necessary  information  to  build  a  plant  in  the  United 
States.  This  was  more  than  I  ever  expected  could  be 
gotten  from  the  Whitworth  people,  as  their  policy  up  to  that 
time  had  been  to  keep  everything  secret.  As  there  seemed 
some  doubt  in  the  minds  of  some  of  the  directors  as  to 
Lieutenant  Jaques'  being  able  to  form  a  correct  opinion  of 
what  he  had  seen,  I  proposed  to  our  President  and  General 
Manager  to  let  me  go  over  to  Whitworth's  and  investigate 
the  whole  subject  thoroughly;  but  they  did  not  seem  to 
take  any  interest  whatever  in  the  matter,  saying  the  project 


180  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

was  premature,  and  they  looked  upon  it  as  a  vague  experi- 
ment, that  would  surely  end  in  trouble.  But,  as  at  Cam- 
bria, my  mind  was  made  up  that  something  had  to  be  done 
or  trouble  would  surely  come,  so  I  urged  the  company  to 
let  me  go  over  to  Whitworth's  to  see  for  myself  and  meet 
Jaques  there.  This  finally  they  did,  but  very  reluctantly. 

As  soon  as  I  had  their  consent  to  let  me  go,  I  got  things 
about  the  works  in  the  best  shape  that  was  possible,  so  that 
I  could  remain  from  home  for  a  month  or  so.  In  this  con- 
nection, the  General  Manager  one  day  placed  his  hand  on 
my  shoulder  and  said,  "  John,  you  have  done  more  than 
any  other  man  to  draw  us  into  this  wild  scheme,  and  I  am 
going  to  hold  you  responsible  for  the  result."  I  was  not 
discouraged  by  this,  and  I  told  the  General  Manager  that 
I  would  assume  the  responsibility,  and  that  I  had  much 
more  at  stake  than  he  had.  I  said  I  well  knew  that  it  was 
a  great  undertaking,  and,  indeed,  compared  with  the  then 
existing  plants  in  the  country,  what  I  wanted  was  truly 
gigantic. 

On  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  days  out,  if  I  could  have 
been  landed  on  the  American  side  of  the  Atlantic,  it  is  quite 
likely  I  would  have  done  so,  but  on  the  fifth  day  I  had 
gotten  into  a  better  frame  of  mind  and  stomach,  and  by 
the  time  I  arrived  in  Liverpool  I  was  as  full  of  enthusiasm 
as  ever  on  the  subject  of  my  mission. 

On  my  return  I  reported  to  the  directors.  As  I  had  had 
several  disappointing  failures  to  get  the  company  to  look 
forward  to  a  change  in  their  business,  and  well  knew  that 
they  must,  in  some  measure  at  least,  make  a  change,  and 
as  Lieutenant  Jaques  had  secured  the  right  for  the  use  of 
the  Whitworth  patents  for  hydraulic  forgings,  and  as  I  had 
talked  the  subject  over  with  the  directors  at  various  times 
without  any  success  and  but  little  encouragement,  I  now 
told  them  most  emphatically  that  something  must  be  done 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  187 

at  their  next  Board  meeting,  which  was  to  take  place  in  a 
few  days. 

At  the  next  meeting  they  took  the  subject  up,  and  after 
most  seriously  talking  it  over  they  sent  for  me  to  come  to 
the  meeting.  This  I  did,  and  I  found  them  looking  as  if 
they  were  about  to  bury  the  last  friend  they  had  on  earth. 
They  had  their  say,  all  but  one.  They  generally  thought 
it  was  a  wild  and  visionary  scheme;  it  would  take  a  vast 
amount  of  money,  and  they  could  not  see  where  the  money 
was  to  come  from,  and  failure  was  sure  to  take  place. 
Some  said  we  had  been  making  money  and  they  could  see 
no  reason  for  a  change.  They  asked  what  I  had  to  say.  I 
replied:  "  I  have  given  you  my  views  so  often  and  so  frankly 
that  it  seems  to  me  useless  to  repeat  them.  I  will,  however 
say  that  you  have  turned  down  everything  that'  I  have 
suggested,  and  you  are  up  against  the  last  that  I  have  to 
suggest.  Some  of  you  say,  Let  well  alone.  I  say  that  in 
this  case  such  a  policy  will  be  suicidal.  Some  of  the  direc- 
tors have  their  doubts  of  my  ability  to  carry  through  a  job 
of  such  magnitude.  Now,  gentlemen,  I  wish  to  say  to  you 
all  that  I  have  given  this  proposition  mature  consideration, 
and  from  three  standpoints.  First,  it  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  the  nation  should  have  within  its  control 
just  such  a  plant  as  it  is  proposed  to  build;  it  must  have  it 
and  should  have  it  at  once.  Second,  the  engineers  of  the 
country  are  greatly  in  need  of  it;  there  is  not  a  forge  plant 
in  this  country  that  can  forge  a  good  steel  shaft.  I  have 
shown  you  individually  the  result  of  my  effort  to  get  a  good 
steel  shaft  fourteen  inches  in  diameter.  It  looked  all  right 
on  the  outside,  but,  knowing  how  it  was  forged,  I  had  it 
turned  up  to  size,  outside  diameter,  and  cut  in  two  length- 
wise, and  it  showed  such  internal  seams  and  cracks  that  it 
could  not  be  used;  the  second  one  we  bored  a  five-inch  hole 
through  longitudinally  and  found  it  unsound  all  the  way 


l88  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

through.  The  third  and  last  consideration  is  the  com- 
mercial or  financial  one;  this  is  the  one  that  we  are  most 
vitally  interested  in,  and  I  am  confident  that  a  plant  such 
as  I  propose  will  be  a  paying  investment  and  an  honor  to 
us  all.  Now,  to  prove  to  you  my  confidence  in  it,  I  will 
agree  to  carry  my  share  of  the  capital  as  far  as  it  is  possible 
to  do  so,  and  further  I  will  say  if  I  had  the  money  I  would 
put  in  five  hundred  thousand  dollars." 

After  this  Mr.  Wilbur  beckoned  me  to  come  out.  He 
then  said  to  me,  "  You  seem  to  have  confidence  in  the  plan." 
I  told  him  if  I  had  not  I  would  not  have  talked  as  I  did. 
He  said,  "  If  the  Government  should  want  no  work,  would 
there  be  work  in  the  country  to  keep  the  forging  plant 
busy?  "  I  said,  "  Not  to-day,  but  put  the  forging  plant  up 
and  let  the  engineers  know  what  they  can  get  and  then 
wants  will  soon  grow  up  to  it."  He  then  said,  "  We  will 
build  the  plant." 

I  at  once  went  to  work,  having  the  plans  of  buildings  and 
machinery  well  thought  over,  and  had  drawings  made  for 
the  largest  and  most  complete  plant  that  had  ever  been 
designed  for  such  a  purpose,  and  the  work  was  completed 
as  planned. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 
FORGE  AND  ARMOR-PLATE  PLANT.  —  Continued. 

SOON  after  our  Civil  War  I  gave  the  subject  of  armor 
plate  much  thought.  As  experiments  had  proved  that  iron 
was  practically  useless  in  front  of  modern  steel  shot  or  shell, 
the  question  naturally  came  up,  What  is  the  best  material 
to  use,  and  the  proper  method  to  adopt  for  its  manufacture? 
The  officials  of  the  navies  of  the  world  were  much  agitated 
over  the  subject,  and  various  modes  of  manufacture  were 
suggested.  The  one  most  favored  was  what  was  after- 
wards known  as  the  compound  plate.  In  addition  to 
armor  plate,  I  had  given  guns,  forgings,  and  large  shafting 
much  thought,  and  could  clearly  see  that  a  forging  plant 
capable  of  doing  this  class  of  work  in  the  best  possible 
manner  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  Government 
and  the  manufacturing  interests  of  the  country  at  large. 
Both  were  in  a  humiliating  condition.  Practically  speak- 
ing, we  had  no  navy  or  guns  of  sufficient  power  for  coast 
defense,  and  no  plant  to  make  them.  Our  seacoast  cities 
and  towns  and  our  foreign  commerce  were  all  at  the  mercy 
of  the  navies  of  the  world.  The  then  existing  conditions 
were  disgraceful  to  a  great  nation. 

At  that  time  the  civilized  nations  of  the  world,  which 
required  a  navy,  were  giving  the  subject  of  guns  and  armor 
plate  much  thought.  Many  different  methods  for  making 
the  latter  were  suggested,  and  some  of  them  patented. 
There  are  two  things  in  the  construction  of  armor  plate 
that  must  be  reckoned  on:  first,  the  face  must  be  hard,  so 
as  to  break  the  point  of  the  shot;  second,  the  back  must  be 

189 


IQO  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

strong  in  order  to  resist  the  force  of  the  blow,  without 
breaking.    The  latter  was  a  most  difficult  problem  to  solve. 

The  English  navy  adopted  the  compound  system,  with 
soft  back  of  wrought  iron  or  low-carbon  steel,  and  high- 
carbon  steel  on  the  front  or  face  of  the  plate.  There  were 
three  ways  of  combining  the  metals,  that  seemed  to  be  the 
favorites;  the  results  were  all  the  same,  but  different  plans 
were  devised  to  accomplish  the  same  result.  One  was  to 
form  a  mould  of  the  proper  material  to  stand  the  heat  of 
the  molten  steel,  and  of  the  proper  size  to  make  the  finished 
plate.  This  was  placed  on  edge  in  the  floor ;  then  a  wrought- 
iron  or  a  soft-steel  plate  of  the  proper  size  to  make  the  plate, 
but  less  in  thickness  than  the  pattern,  was  put  in  a  heating 
furnace  and  heated  to  a  welding  heat,  and  placed  in  the 
mould,  close  to  one  side  ;s  this  left  a  space  which  was  filled 
with  hard  steel  to  make  the  face  of  the  plate.  This  all  had 
to  be  done  in  the  quickest  time  possible,  in  order  to  get  the 
adhesion  of  the  two  metals  on  which  the  value  of  the  plate 
largely  depended.  When  it  cooled  to  the  proper  tempera- 
ture, it  was  taken  to  the  rolls  or  the  press,  and  was  finished 
to  the  proper  thickness,  then  to  the  machine  tools,  and  was 
finished  to  the  proper  size  for  the  vessel. 

A  large  amount  of  money  was  expended  on  these  experi- 
ments, which  were  wrong  in  both  theory  and  practice.  In 
the  first  place,  the  plates  were  not  welded  perfectly,  which 
was  essential  in  order  to  make  a  good  armor  plate ;  then  the 
soft  back  was  a  mistake,  as  it  was  not  at  all  possible  to  get 
the  required  strength  with  soft  metal  to  support  the  back 
against  the  shock;  and  great  strength  in  the  back  of  an  ar- 
mor plate  is  an  all-important  element,  and  one  that  is  most 
difficult  to  get.  My  first  thoughts  on  the  subject  soon  led 
me  to  think  that  a  solid  steel  plate  was  the  best,  and  that 
good  steel  was  the  best  material.  When  I  first  wanted  the 
company  to  build  a  forge  plant  and  put  in  a  hammer,  I  had 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  191 

the  solid  steel  armor  plate  in  my  mind.  The  hammer  is 
the  best  system  of  forging  to  get  close-grained  metal. 

The  efficiency  of  the  Navy  would  depend  on  high-power 
guns  and  on  an  armor  plate  that  would  resist  solid  steel 
shot  fired  out  of  a  steel  gun  at  a  high  velocity.  Any  plate 
that  would  not  stand  this  test  was  worse  than  useless. 
Consequently,  it  was  idle  to  think  for  a  moment  of  ever 
making  a  wrought-iron  armor  plate  that  would  be  effective 
under  such  conditions,  to  meet  the  improvements  that  had 
been  made  in  guns  and  projectiles. 

At  the  time  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Company  took  the 
subject  up,  all  Europe  was  speculating  and  experimenting 
on  various  devices,  hoping  to  find  something  that  would 
meet  the  conditions.  Among  the  many  plans,  the  com- 
pound plate  above  described  seemed  to  be  the  favorite. 
To  my  mind  it  was  clear  that  an  armor  plate  could  not  be 
made  on  that  principle  that  would  stand  the  shock  of  a 
solid  forged  oil-tempered  steel  projectile,  at  the  velocity 
specified  by  the  Navy  Department. 

The  ideal  armor  plate,  I  was  convinced,  should  be  made 
out  of  one  solid  piece  of  steel,  the  ingot  being  cast  large 
enough  to  give  sufficient  work  in  forging  to  properly  close 
the  grain  to  prepare  it  for  annealing  and  tempering.  But 
how  such  a  plate  would  stand  the  ballistic  test  could  only 
be  solved  by  actual  experiment;  there  were  diverse  opinions 
on  this  point,  but  generally  unfavorable,  and  the  only  way 
to  demonstrate  it  would  be  by  actual  experiment,  which 
at  that  time  would  have  been  very  expensive,  as  there  were 
no  means  of  forging  and  treating  the  plate,  or  proper  tools 
for  shaping  it. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Schneider,  of  the  Creusot  Works 
in  France,  was  experimenting  in  making  solid  steel  plates, 
forging  them  under  a  hundred-ton  hammer.  This  being 
to  my  mind  the  only  way  to  make  a  good  armor  plate, 


192  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

Lieutenant  Jaques  and  I  went  to  their  works  to  see  what 
they  were  really  doing.     We  spent  several  days  there,  saw 


FIG.  9.  —  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-FIVE  TON  STEAM  HAMMER, 
BETHLEHEM  IRON  COMPANY. 

them  forge  a  plate,  and  thoroughly  investigated  the  work 
they  had  done  and  the  results  attained.  While  not  fully  sat- 
isfied, yet  both  Lieutenant  Jaques  and  I  had  sufficient  faith 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  193 

in  the  process  to  agree  that  on  our  return  home  we  would 
recommend  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Company  to  make  some 
arrangement,  if  possible,  whereby  they  could  use  the  Creusot 
patents  and  the  benefit  of  their  secrets  and  their  experience. 
This  we  did,  and  we  explained  to  the  directors  all  we  had 
seen  and  what  had  been  accomplished,  and  strongly  urged 
them  to  take  the  subject  up  and  learn  what  arrangements, 
if  any,  could  be  made.  They  listened  to  us,  but  with 
seeming  indifference.  However,  in  a  short  time  after  this 
meeting,  and  after  some  delay  and  much  talk,  the  Board 
concluded  to  take  up  the  subject.  They  did  this,  but  could 
not  come  to  an  agreement. 

Mr.  Jaques  and  I  were  sent  to  Paris  to  meet  Mr.  Schnei- 
der and  learn  if  any  arrangement  could  be  made  that  would 
be  satisfactory  to  both  parties.  This  was  in  the  summer  of 
1887.  We  met  in  Mr.  Schneider's  office  with  his  lawyer, 
and  after  a  somewhat  formal  introduction  the  subject  was 
taken  up  by  Mr.  Jaques  and  the  lawyer  in  the  French 
language.  I  could  not  understand  a  single  word  either  of 
them  said,  but  I  was  very  proud  of  Jaques;  he  kept  cool 
and  could  talk  as  fast  as  that  French  lawyer  could. 

Mr.  Schneider  was  a  thorough  gentleman.  I  thought  I 
could  see  that  he  was  not  pleased  with  all  that  his  lawyer 
said,  and  he  would  occasionally  speak  to  me  in  a  way  that 
confirmed  my  thoughts.  After  a  time  I  got  tired  listening 
to  a  talk  of  which  I  could  not  understand  a  word  that  was 
said,  and  got  up  and  walked  into  an  adjoining  room.  In  a 
few  minutes  Mr.  Schneider  followed  and  said  to  me,  "Should 
we  fail  this  tune  to  come  to  some  understanding,  will  this 
end  the  negotiation?  "  I  told  him  that  I  was  not  authorized 
to  say  so,  but  my  opinion  was  that  it  would.  After  some 
further  conversation  on  the  subject,  on  matters  of  detail, 
he  said  he  would  accept,  and  have  an  agreement  made  in 
accordance  with  the  understanding  we  had  just  arrived  at. 


194  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

Having  completed  our  mission,  I  returned  home,  and 
reported  to  the  Board  of  Directors  what  we  had  done. 

While  I  did  not  have  the  honor  of  being  a  member  of  the 
Peace  Commission  appointed  by  the  President  of  the  United 
States  to  proceed  to  Paris  to  settle  the  difficulties  between 
our  country  and  Spain,  yet  I  had  the  honor  of  being  ap- 
pointed by  the  President  of  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Company, 
a  member  of  this  Commission,  and  ordered  to  proceed  to 
Paris,  and  in  company  with  Lieutenant  Jaques,  if  possible, 
to  negotiate  a  treaty  with  the  Messrs.  Schneider  of  Creusot, 
for  the  right  to  use  all  their  patents  and  their  secrets,  that 
might  be  useful  in  the  manufacture  of  armor  plate  on  the 
Creusot  principle. 

After  negotiations  were  completed  with  Messrs.  Schneider 
of  La  Creusot,  in  accordance  with  our  instructions  we  went 
to  England  to  visit  the  Whitworth  Works.  As  I  had  been 
requested  by  our  President  to  return  home  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, I  sailed  for  the  United  States  on  the  first  ship  leaving 
Liverpool  after  the  completion  of  our  labors,  happy  in  the 
consciousness  that  we  had  secured  the  Creusot  contract. 
After  a  somewhat  tempestuous  voyage,  otherwise  unevent- 
ful, I  landed  in  New  York;  as  the  mission  had  been  a  secret 
one,  there  was  no  reception  committee,  not  even  a  news- 
paper reporter,  or  a  special  train  for  Bethlehem.  There 
was  neither  wining  nor  dining,  not  even  a  warm  reception. 
Neither  was  there  any  indication  that  the  people  at  large 
took  any  interest  whatever  in  the  great  work  we  had  ac- 
complished, but  I  did  not  take  the  indifference  of  the  people 
to  heart,  being  conscious  that  we  had  done  our  duty,  and 
had  accomplished  a  great  and  far-reaching  work,  the  result 
of  which  is  now  widely  known;  and  to  the  wisdom,  fore- 
sight, and  progressiveness  of  the  President,  Directors,  and 
Executive  Officers  of  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Company,  and 
to  the  intelligent,  indomitable  energy  and  determination  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 


195 


FIG.  10.  —  FOURTEEN  THOUSAND  TON  HYDRAULIC  FORGING  PRESS, 

BUILT  BY  THE  BETHLEHEM  IRON  COMPANY.     Two  CYLINDERS, 

EACH  FIFTY  INCHES  IN  DIAMETER. 

its  employees,  manifested  in  the  construction  of  the  plant, 
is  the  credit  largely  due  for  making  it  possible  for  the  Gov- 
ernment to  achieve  the  glorious  victories  in  our  late  war 
with  Spain. 


ig6  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

After  the  contract,  which  had  been  mailed  from  Paris 
by  Lieutenant  Jaques,  had  been  acted  upon  by  their  law- 
yer, the  Board  of  Directors  accepted  it. 

Some  of  my  ablest  engineering  friends  had  urged  me  not 
to  undertake  the  building  of  an  armor  plant,  saying  I  was 
not  justified  in  assuming  so  great  a  risk,  and  that,  should 
failure  occur,  my  reputation  as  an  engineer  would  surely  be 
ruined.  In  reply  I  told  them  that  the  same  argument  had 
been  used  to  try  to  prevent  me  from  making  the  changes 
and  improvements  which  I  had  made  at  Cambria  Iron 
Works,  and  which  were  eminently  successful.  I  also  told 
them  that  I  was  well  satisfied  I  could  build  the  plant  and 
make  it  go  all  right,  and  that  it  was  just  such  a  plant  as  the 
engineers  of  the  country  wanted.  In  addition,  the  ship- 
building trade  was  at  that  time  quite  active,  and  all  the 
shafting  and  heavy  forgings  were  being  made  abroad, 
generally  at  Krupps',  and  also  the  heavy  forgings  for  both 
Army  and  Navy,  and  the  gun  forgings  for  both. 

The  Bethlehem  plant  was  the  first  to  be  erected  for  the 
purpose  of  making  armor  plate  for  the  United  States 
Government. 

After  a  great  deal  of  worry  and  anxiety  we  succeeded  in 
making  several  hundred  tons  of  plates  which  to  our  joy  stood 
the  Government  test,  although  these  tests  were  not  so  severe 
as  they  were  afterwards,  but  much  more  difficult  for  us,  as 
armor  plate  was  then  made,  than  the  more  severe  tests  that 
later  on  were  imposed  on  us  by  the  Government. 

In  this  connection  I  recall  an  anxious  day  I  once  spent. 
After  we  had  the  works  partially  erected,  and  had  made  an 
expenditure  of  a  large  amount  of  money,  the  Cammell 
people  got  our  Government  to  believe  that  it  was  impossible 
to  make  a  solid  steel  plate  that  would  stand  the  test,  and 
the  Government  went  so  far  as  to  order  a  Cammell  com- 
pound plate,  and  a  Creusot  solid  steel  plate,  the  latter 


(107) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  199 

made  at  the  Creusot  Works  in  France,  and  they  were  tested 
by  the  Government  at  Annapolis. 

This  trial  was  the  source  of  great  anxiety.  While  I  had 
entire  confidence  in  solid  steel  plate,  yet  if  by  any  chance 
the  compound  plate  should  stand  the  test,  and  the  solid 
steel  plate  fail,  from  any  cause  which  might  have  occurred 
in  its  manufacture,  the  money  which  we  had  spent  would 
have  been  practically  lost,  as  our  arrangements  would  have 
been  of  little  use  in  the  manufacture  of  compound  plates. 
On  the  day  of  the  trial  Lieutenant  Jaques  was  sent  to 
Annapolis  to  witness  the  test.  Expecting  to  hear  from  him 
at  about  two  or  three  o'clock,  and  not  hearing  from  him,  my 
anxiety  increased.  At  six  o'clock  I  went  home  from  the 
works  with  a  terrific  headache.  I  got  a  cup  of  tea  and  a 
piece  of  toast,  and  lay  down  on  the  sofa,  wondering  what 
would  be  the  consequences  if  the  solid  steel  plate  failed.  At 
about  eight  o'clock  a  telegram  came.  My  wife  received  it 
and  said,  "  Here  is  a  telegram  for  you."  I  said,  "  Open  it 
and  read  it."  She  opened  it,  but  said  she  could  not  read  it. 
I  asked  her  for  what  reason,  and  she  said  she  did  not  under- 
stand it.  I  said,  "What  does  it  say?"  She  replied, 
"  Compound  something,  knocked  to  smithereens."  I  got 
up,  but  waited  anxiously  to  hear  how  the  solid  steel  plate 
stood  the  test.  The  telegram  said,  "  Solid  steel  plate  stood 
the  test."  Imagine  my  relief!! 

During  the  course  of  the  evening  I  reflected  on  the 
previous  trial  of  the  Creusot  and  compound  plates  made 
at  Spezzia,  Italy.  In  that  test  the  compound  plate  failed. 
The  solid  steel  plate  cracked,  but  kept  the  shot  out,  and 
I  concluded  that  it  would  be  much  better  to  have  the  plate 
crack  and  keep  the  shot  out,  than  to  let  the  shot  go  through 
the  plate  without  cracking.  Knowing,  as  I  did,  that  it 
was  an  exceedingly  difficult  point  to  just  reach  the  limit 
that  the  shot  could  be  kept  out,  and  prevent  the  cracking 


200  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

of  the  plate,  I  was  satisfied  in  my  own  mind  that  such  a 
result  could  be  reached,  and  it  was  reached. 

Later  Mr.  Harvey  taught  us  all  how  to  make  the  ideal 
armor  plate  with  a  hard  face  and  strong  back.  This  was 
a  boon  to  the  armor-plate  manufactures,  for  which  he 
should  have  received  a  Knighthood,  but  instead  he  was 
hounded  by  the  manufacturers,  by  their  refusal  to  pay  him 
any  royalty,  resulting  in  a  law  suit  which  worried  Mr. 
Harvey  until  his  death.  They  fought  his  patent  on  the 
narrow  principle  that  case-hardening  was  not  new,  and 
they  were  not  generous  enough  to  admit  that  a  carbonized 
steel  armor  plate  weighing  fifty  tons  or  upwards  was  a  new 
article  of  commerce,  but  compared  the  carbonizing  of  a 
steel  armor  plate  to  the  case-hardening  of  a  little  spring  for 
a  gunlock  made  out  of  iron,  surrounded  by  some  carbona- 
ceous material,  such  as  the  soft  parings  of  horses'  feet, 
leather  of  old  shoes,  or  certain  kinds  of  old  hats,  wrapped 
up  in  a  ball  of  clay  not  much  larger  than  a  wasps'  nest, 
presumably  heated  in  a  smith's  fire,  and  let  cool.  This 
is  what  I  did  when  a  boy,  many  times.  Yet  this  argu- 
ment was  brought  up  to  prove  that  his  patent  was  invalid. 

Up  to  the  time  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Company  commenced 
making  gun  forgings  the  gun  hoops  were  made  in  short 
lengths.  On  the  occasion  of  a  visit  to  Bethlehem  of  Com- 
mander Folger,  then  Chief  of  Ordnance  of  the  United  States 
Navy,  we  discussed  the  merits  of  longer  gun  forgings,  and 
we  agreed  that  an  improvement  could  be  made  over  the 
guns  that  had  been  manufactured  up  to  that  time,  if  longer 
forgings  were  used.  The  Bethlehem  plant  was  equipped 
for  such  forgings.  The  proposed  change  was  made,  and 
now  guns  are  all  made  with  much  longer  hoops,  with  a 
much  better  gun  as  a  result. 

In  1897,  by  act  of  Congress,  a  Board  known  as  the  Armor 
Factory  Board  was  appointed  for  the  purpose  of  investigat- 


I 


J 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  203 

ing  the  then  existing  plants  and  reporting  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  its  findings,  as  to  the  desirability  of  having  the 
United  States  construct,  own,  and  operate  its  own  armor- 
plate  plant.  This  Board  visited  numerous  steel  companies 
of  the  country  and  urged  that  I  help  them  as  an  expert. 
I  had  previously  suggested  some  other  engineers  to  serve 
them,  but  they  insisted  on  my  taking  up  this  work.  This 
I  did,  and  after  about  three  or  four  months  of  strenuous 
work,  in  connection  with  which  I  employed  several  engineers 
and  draftsmen,  I  turned  over  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
detailed  plans  and  specifications  and  estimates  of  cost  for 
the  proposed  plant.  This  in  turn  was  reported  to  Congress 
at  its  next  session.  After  consideration,  the  Government 
decided  not  to  build  the  plant. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
CONCLUSION. 

IN  looking  back  to  the  date  of  my  first  connection  with 
the  iron  business  in  October,  1838,  over  seventy  years  ago, 
it  seems  almost  impossible  for  the  mind  to  fully  realize  the 
improvements  which  have  taken  place  in  the  iron  and  steel 
business,  especially  those  that  were  commenced  in  1854, 
and  paved  the  way  for  the  enormous  production  that  in- 
creased the  quantity  made  from  637,000  tons  in  1854,  to 
the  enormous  production  of  24,000,000  tons  in  1909.  With 
aJl  of  this  I  have  been  contemporary,  and  I  had  much  to  do 
with  the  inventions  and  changes  which  have  taken  place 
during  this  remarkable  period.  A  retrospect  of  whatever 
has  taken  place  during  my  long  career  seems  necessary,  as 
I  owe  much  to  the  wonderful  progress  that  has  been  made 
in  the  arts  and  sciences  and  the  growing  interdependence 
of  the  various  branches  of  the  mechanic  arts,  as  contrasted 
with  their  policy  many  years  ago. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  England  is  the  home  of  the 
manufacture  of  iron  and  steel,  and  the  birthplace  of  the 
Iron  and  Steel  Institute,  and  much  of  our  success  is  due  to 
the  information  we  gained  from  the  invaluable  papers  read 
at  their  meetings,  and  the  discussions  that  followed  them. 
And  here,  at  this  late  day,  I  call  to  mind  many  pleasant  and 
instructive  talks  I  had  with  the  English  and  Welsh  work- 
men who  were  employed  at  the  Norristown  Iron  Works. 

I  wish,  also,  to  give  credit  to  the  brave  and  noble  workmen 
who,  throughout  my  long  connection  with  the  business,  ever 
stood  ready  to  meet  any  emergency,  no  matter  what  the 

204 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  205 

danger  or  difficulty  might  be.  All  that  needed  to  be  said 
was  "  Come,  boys,"  but  never  "  Go,  boys/'  and  if  the  difficul- 
ties were  not  insurmountable  they  were  sure  to  be  overcome; 
too  much  credit  cannot  be  given  to  these  fearless  and  ener- 
getic men  for  the  marvelous  progress  that  has  been  made 
in  the  manufacture  of  iron  and  steel  in  this  country. 

While  we  have  properly  received  great  credit  for  the 
unprecedented  developments  we  have  made  in  the  iron  and 
steel  industry  in  the  United  States,  we  must  not  forget  that 
it  was  the  inventions  of  Cort,  of  Mushet,  of  Bessemer,  of 
Siemens,  and  of  Thomas  that  enabled  us  to  accomplish 
such  important  results;  and  to  them  all  civilized  nations 
owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  the  incomparable  blessings  their 
inventions  have  conferred  on  society. 

Yet  few  of  us  even  for  a  moment  think  of  the  trials, 
troubles,  disappointments,  mental  anxiety,  and  bodily  toil 
these  men  had  to  undergo  in  the  introduction  and  perfec- 
tion of  their  inventions,  besides  suffering  the  sneers  and 
jibes  of  those  who  imagine  that  an  inventor  is  nothing  but 
a  wild  enthusiast,  and  treat  him  accordingly.  The  story 
of  many  inventors  is  truly  pathetic,  and  none  more  so  than 
that  of  the  lamented  Sidney  Gilchrist  Thomas.  The  per- 
sonal side  of  the  story  of  the  inventor  of  the  basic  process 
can  only  be  appreciated  by  the  reading  of  his  life.  He  died 
February  i,  1885,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-four  years. 

When  I  look  back  to  my  early  days  in  the  iron  business 
long,  long  ago,  it  brings  to  mind  one  of  the  happiest  periods 
of  my  life. 

How  little  do  the  younger  men  who  now  have  charge  of 
our  great  iron  and  steel  industries  know  or  even  think  of 
the  severe  mental  strain,  the  great  amount  of  bodily  toil, 
the  vexation,  the  surprises,  and  the  disappointments  that 
had  to  be  endured  by  the  men  in  charge  during  the  erection 
and  perfection  of  these  vast  establishments  that  are  now 


206  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  iron  and  steel!  And  let  me 
here  say  that  this  great  work  was  not  accomplished  by 
command  but  by  example.  It  was  the  men  in  training, 
before  alluded  to,  who  erected,  perfected,  and  put  in  opera- 
tion these  most  marvelous  enterprises  of  the  age.  And  to 
these  noble,  brave,  and  energetic  men  the  people  of  this 
country  owe  much  for  the  far-reaching  results  they  so 
thoroughly  accomplished,  which  have  already  changed 
the  social  condition  of  our  vast  territory.  They  have 
furnished  us  with  a  material  which  for  quality,  cheapness, 
and  the  quantity  furnished  in  a  given  time  is  without 
parallel,  and  could  not  have  been  realized  by  any  other 
known  methods.  Without  it  the  building  of  transconti- 
nental railroads  would  have  been  almost  impossible.  Had 
the  rails  been  made  in  the  old  way  out  of  puddled  iron, 
with  the  increased  traffic  on  the  Atlantic  ends  of  the  lines, 
they  would  have  been  worn  out  before  the  Pacific  coast  could 
have  been  reached.  The  credit  does  not  end  here.  The 
reduction  of  freight  rates,  owing  to  the  general  use  of  steel 
rails,  is  so  enormous  that  it  was  said  by  one  of  our  most 
distinguished  public  men,  the  late  Hon.  Abram  S.  Hewitt, 
that  the  saving  alone  on  the  cost  of  transportation  due 
to  the  use  of  steel  in  the  place  of  iron  would,  if  available, 
amount  to  a  sum  sufficient  to  pay  our  national  debt  in  a 
comparatively  short  time. 

In  addition  to  the  use  of  steel  for  rails,  the  Great  West  is 
being  fenced  with  steel  at  a  cost  that  seems  almost  fabu- 
lously cheap,  and  this  product  is  being  used  largely  for  many 
other  purposes.  It  was  formerly  iron  that  was  used  for 
structural  work,  now  it  is  steel ;  and  it  has  practically  super- 
seded the  use  of  wrought  iron.  Steel  is  largely  used  in  the 
construction  of  all  grades  of  machinery  employed  in  the 
manufacturing  arts.  It  is  the  base  of  our  immense  inland 
system  of  transportation.  It  is  this  imperial  metal  that 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  fRITZ  207 

has  enabled  the  engineer  to  perform  the  daring  and  re- 
markable engineering  feats  which  he  has  accomplished 
during  the  last  half  of  the  century;  without  it  they  would 
have  been  practically  impossible.  It  is  the  material  used 
in  the  construction  of  the  monster  floating  palaces  that 
cross  the  vast  ocean  with  the  regularity  of  a  railroad  train. 

Fifty  years  ago  steel  was  a  luxury  to  the  engineer. 
Modern  practice  of  steel  making  in  the  hands  of  the  me- 
chanical engineer,  the  metallurgist,  and  the  chemist  has 
wrought  wonders  in  producing  a  material  which  is  used 
alike  in  the  manufacture  of  articles  of  the  most  weighty, 
the  rudest,  and  cheapest  grades,  and  in  the  construction  of 
the  most  intricate,  the  finest  and  most  delicate  implements 
and  machinery.  And  it  is  boldly  asserting  its  value  and 
importance  everywhere. 

It  is  to  the  invention,  introduction,  and  perfection  of  the 
modern  system  of  steel  making  in  this  country  that  we  are 
indebted  for  the  education  of  our  people  in  the  scientific, 
mechanical,  and  metallurgical  arts,  which  has  enabled  us 
to  build  a  navy  respected  by  the  nations  of  the  world. 

We  find  steel  asserting  its  value  through  every  walk  of 
life  and  extending  through  every  clime,  linking  hands  in 
bonds  which  grow  broader  and  stronger  with  the  years, 
till  even  now  we  can  see  dimly  on  the  horizon  the  promise 
of  the  universal  brotherhood  of  man,  the  longed-for  era 
of  Eternal  Peace. 


AFTERWORD. 


THE  foreword  of  my  friend  and  colleague,  Robert  W. 
Hunt,  contains  one  word  which  I  would  fain  emphasize 
in  this  afterword  as  the  keynote  and  moral  of  the  life 
hereinbefore  narrated.  It  is  quite  needless  to  point  out 
that  the  story  has  been  given  from  the  standpoint,  and  in 
the  words,  of  John  Fritz  himself,  and  that  he  has  told  it  in 
characteristic  unconsciousness  of  either  keynote  or  moral. 
He,  who  never  preached  a  sermon  before,  is  not  preaching 
a  sermon  now.  But  I  may  venture  to  do  what  he  has  not 
dreamed  of  doing;  and  my  text  shall  be  the  word  "  integ- 
rity," as  designating  a  dominant  feature  unwittingly  ex- 
hibited by  these  reminiscences. 

In  endorsing  Mr.  Hunt's  ascription  of  integrity  to  John 
Fritz,  I  am  not  merely  saying  that  he  never  stole  money 
or  told  lies  or  accepted  bribes.  Praise  for  such  negative 
virtues  would  be  almost  insult.  I  would  give  to  "  integ- 
rity" its  original  meaning  of  complete  and  invulnerable 
manhood.  In  this  sense,  it  includes  not  only  the  self- 
respect  which  scorns  dishonesty,  but  also  the  courage  which 
asserts  conviction,  the  ambition  which  accepts  responsi- 
bility, the  loyalty  which  ignores  self-interest,  and  the  energy 
which  despises  ignoble  rest.  In  a  word,  it  is  noble,  ardent 
individualism. 

No  man  achieves  success  by  virtue  of  his  individual 
qualities  only;  and  the  life  of  John  Fritz  shows  plainly 
enough  that  he  won  advancement  by  impressing  upon 
other  men  his  fitness  for  their  needs.  In  other  words,  he 

208 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  209 

made  friends,  who  became  his  sponsors  or  employers,  and 
whose  verdict  upon  his  work  now  constitutes  the  basis  of 
his  fame.  This  is  the  normal  career  of  merit  under  the 
system  of  individual  liberty  and  responsibility.  We  have 
heard  much,  in  these  later  days,  of  proposed  reconstructions 
of  society  in  which  masses  and  classes  are  to  be  substituted 
as  units  for  integral  men.  Yet  no  one  denies  the  immense 
value  to  society  of  great  achievements  and  inspiring  ex- 
amples; and  it  is  fair  to  ask  of  any  new  sociological  phi- 
losophy whether,  if  put  into  operation,  it  could  produce  a 
man  like  John  Fritz. 

ROSSITER  W,  RAYMOND. 


HONORS. 

THE  AMERICAN  SOCIETY  OF  MECHANICAL 
ENGINEERS. 

CONGRATULATORY. 

IN  honor  and   respect  of  our  esteemed  member  and 
ex- Vice  President 

JOHN  FRITZ 

who,  after  long  years  of  active  duty  as  a  Mechanical 
Engineer  and  as  a  noted  Captain  of  Industry,  seeks  a  rest 
well-earned,  whose  ever  busy  life  began  almost  co-tempo- 
rary with  the  manufacture  of  iron  in  our  Country,  who 
through  all  its  advancing  stages  imprinted  upon  it  the  marks 
of  his  thoughtful  labors,  who  with  his  friend  Holley  stood 
beside  the  cradle  of  the  newly  born  industry  of  steel  making 
in  the  United  States  by  the  Bessemer  and  kindred  processes, 
promoting  its  growth  by  his  wide  and  varied  experience, 
and  crowning  its  highest  achievements  with  the  versatility 
of  his  genius  and  his  rare  good  judgment,  the  Council  of  the 

AMERICAN  SOCIETY  OF  MECHANICAL  ENGINEERS 

desire  to  make  this  minute.  Endeared  as  he  is  to  us  indi- 
vidually, and  to  the  Society  we  represent,  we  cannot  per- 
mit this  eventful  occasion  to  pass  without  tendering  him 
our  love  and  respect,  and  without  joining  in  a  hearty  wish 
for  his  future  health  and  happiness,  and  without  expressing 
the  earnest  hope  that  for  years  to  come  we  may  be  aided 
by  his  counsel  and  encouraged  by  his  genial  good  fellowship. 

210 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  211 

Believing  that  his  great  warm  heart  will  receive  this  slight 
tribute  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  tendered,  we  have  the 
honor  to  subscribe  ourselves  the  loving  friends  of 

JOHN  FRITZ  OF  BETHLEHEM. 

On  behalf  of  the  Council.        On  behalf  of  the  Honorary 

Committee. 

STEPHEN  W.  BALDWIN         J.  F.  HOLLOWAY 
CARLETON  W.  NASON  GEORGE  H.  BABCOCK 

ANDREW  FLETCHER  ROBERT  W.  HUNT 

W.  A.  PERRY  HORACE  SEE 

J.  E.  DENTON 
JOHN  THOMSON 

CHAS.  H.  LORING,  President 

F.  R.  HUTTON,  Secretary 

WM.  H.  WILEY,  Treasurer 

NEW  YORK  CITY,  August  21,  1892. 


THE  IRON  AND  STEEL  INSTITUTE. 

VICTORIA  MANSIONS,  VICTORIA  STREET. 
LONDON,  S.  W.,  July  2gth,  1893. 
DEAR  SIR: 

I  am  instructed  to  inform  you  that  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Council  of  the  Iron  and  Steel  Institute  held  yesterday,  you 
were  unanimously  elected  an  honorary  member  of  the 
institute. 

The  honorary  members  of  the  Institute  now  comprise: 
The  Prince  of  Wales, 
The  King  of  the  Belgians, 
Professor  Ackerman  of  Stockholm, 
The  Hon.  A.  S.  Hewitt, 
The  Ritter  von  Tunner, 
and  yourself. 

Journal  No.  1-1893  °f  ^  Institute  will  be  sent  you 
directly  it  is  published,  early  next  month. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 
BENNETT  H.  BROUGH, 

Secretary. 
JOHN  FRITZ,  ESQ., 
BETHLEHEM,  PA.,  U.  S.  A. 


212 


THE  IRON  AND  STEEL  INSTITUTE. 

28  VICTORIA  STREET, 
LONDON,  S.  W.,  November  19,  1909. 
MY  DEAR  SIR: 

Under  the  new  Bye-laws  of  this  Institute,  it  is  within  the 
province  of  the  Council  to  elect  Honorary  Vice-Presidents 
from  among  the  distinguished  Members  of  the  Institute 
who,  by  reason  of  residence  outside  Great  Britain  or  other 
restraining  cause,  are  precluded  from  taking  an  active  part 
in  the  management  of  the  affairs  of  the  Institute.  Ac- 
cordingly, I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that,  by  a 
unanimous  vote,  the  Council  yesterday  elected  you  an 
Honorary  Vice-President,  for  life,  of  the  Iron  &  Steel  Insti- 
tute, with  the  right  to  attend  all  Council  Meetings  whenever 
it  may  suit  your  convenience  to  do  so. 

I  hope  to  be  able  to  send  on  to  you  shortly  a  card  giving 
a  list  of  all  meetings  in  the  year  1910. 
I  have  the  honour  to  remain, 

Yours  faithfully, 

G.  C.  LLOYD, 

Secretary. 
JOHN  FRITZ,  ESQ.,  M.  A.,  D.  Sc., 

BETHLEHEM,  PENNSYLVANIA,  U.  S.  A. 


213 


THE  BESSEMER  GOLD   MEDAL. 
IRON  AND  STEEL  INSTITUTE. 

ESTABLISHED  1869. 

UNDER  THE  PRESIDENCY  or  His  GRACE  THE  DUKE 
OF  DEVONSHIRE. 

This  is  to  certify  that  John  Fritz,  a  member  of  the 
Institute,  was  by  the  unanimous  votes  of  the  President  and 
Council  awarded  the  Bessemer  Gold  Medal  for  valuable 
services  in  connection  with  the  manufacture  of  steel. 

WITNESS  OUR  HANDS  AND  SEAL  this  24th  day  of  May, 

1893. 

E.  WINDSOR  RICHARDS,  President. 
BENNETT  H.  BROUGH,  Secretary. 


214 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP  JOHN  FRITZ  215 

ENGINEERING  SOCIETIES. 

Member  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers 1872 

President  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers 1894 

Member  American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers 1882 

Vice-President  American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers 1882-1884 

Hon.  Member  American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers 1892 

President  American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers 1895-1896 

Member  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers 1893 

Hon.  Member  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers 1899 

Hon.  Member  Iron  and  Steel  Institute  of  Great  Britain *&93 

Hon.  Vice-President  Iron  and  Steel  Institute  of  Great  Britain 1909 

Hon.  Member  American  Iron  and  Steel  Institute 1910 

COLLEGE  DEGREES. 

Columbia  University:  A.  M 1895 

University  of  Pennsylvania:  D.  Sc 1906 

Stevens  Institute  of  Technology:  D.  Eng 1907 

Temple  University:  D.  Sc 1911 

MEDALS. 

Centennial  Exposition  Bronze  Medal 1879 

Bessemer  Gold  Medal:  Iron  and  Steel  Institute  of  Great  Britain . .  .  1893 

John  Fritz  Gold  Medal:  United  Engineering  Societies 1902 

Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  Bronze  Medal 1904 

Ellicott  Cresson  Gold  Medal:  Franklin  Institute 1910 

COMMITTEES. 

Member  of  Group  i,  Centennial  Exposition 1876 

Presidential  Elector  for  Pennsylvania 1896 

Hon.  Expert  on  Iron  and  Steel,  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition 1902 


THE  FRITZ  ENGINEERING  LABORATORY. 

A  CHAPTER  in  the  long  and  active  life  of  Mr.  Fritz  would 
remain  unwritten  if  no  reference  were  made  to  his  relation- 
ship to  Lehigh  University.  When  that  institution  was 
established  in  1866,  the  Founder,  the  Hon.  Asa  Packer,  of 
Mauch  Chunk,  Pennsylvania,  selected  Mr.  Fritz  as  one 
of  the  original  trustees,  well  knowing  that  his  practical 
experience  would  be  of  great  value  in  directing  the  policy 
of  the  new  college,  which  was  to  be  devoted  largely  to  in- 
struction in  the  arts  of  Mechanical  and  Metallurgical 
Engineering. 

Mr.  Fritz  has  maintained  his  trusteeship  from  the  found- 
ing of  the  University  up  to  the  present  time,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  years,  during  which,  at  his  request,  he  was 
relieved  of  active  participation  in  the  affairs  of  the  Uni- 
versity. He  has  always  discharged  the  duties  of  his  trustee- 
ship with  the  fidelity  and  devotion  that  are  so  characteristic 
of  him,  and  he  has  contributed  liberally  to  the  support  of 
the  institution. 

One  day  in  the  spring  of  1909,  in  talking  with  Dr.  Henry 
S.  Drinker,  President  of  the  University,  he  said:  "I  want 
to  tell  you  something.  In  my  will  I  have  left  Lehigh 
University  a  certain  sum  of  money,  to  be  expended  in  your 
discretion.  I  now  intend  to  revoke  that  bequest.  Yes, 
I'm  going  to  revoke  that  bequest,  and  instead  of  leaving 
money  for  you  to  spend  after  I  am  gone,  I'm  going  to  have 
the  fun  of  spending  it  with  you  and  Charley  Taylor.  I 
have  long  watched  the  careers  of  a  number  of  Lehigh  gradu- 
ates, and  I  have  been  impressed  by  the  value  of  the  training 

216 


(217) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  2IQ 

they  have  received  at  Lehigh.  But  you  need  an  up-to-date 
engineering  laboratory  and  I  intend  to  build  one  for  you." 

No  sooner  had  Mr.  Fritz  announced  his  intention  than 
with  characteristic  activity,  in  spite  of  his  eighty-seven 
years,  he  set  about  making  the  plans  for  the  new  laboratory. 
Various  suggestions  and  ideas  as  to  the  most  suitable  plans 
and  arrangements  of  the  building  were  considered,  archi- 
tects were  consulted,  but  finally  Mr.  Fritz  concluded  that, 
for  the  purpose  in  view,  he  would  be  his  own  architect,  and 
that  the  most  appropriate  structure  would  be  a  large  oblong 
building  with  a  high  center  and  somewhat  lower  sides, 
substantially  on  the  lines  of  the  large  shop  he  had  some 
years  before  built  at  the  Bethlehem  Steel  Works.  The 
outline  of  the  building  can  be  seen  in  the  accompanying 
picture.  Such  a  building  would  provide  the  necessary 
essentials:  adequate  space,  sufficient  light,  and  the  logical 
arrangement  of  having  the  larger  machines  for  heavy  work 
in  the  center  of  the  building  and  the  lighter  and  smaller 
machines  at  the  sides. 

Not  only  did  Mr.  Fritz  furnish  the  design  of  the  new 
laboratory,  but  whenever  possible  he  was  on  the  University 
campus  to  superintend  its  erection.  He  also  personally 
selected  the  greater  part  of  the  equipment. 

The  Fritz  Engineering  Laboratory  is  of  modern  steel- 
frame  mill  construction,  94  feet  wide  and  115  feet  long, 
with  the  main  center  section  65  feet  in  height  and  the 
two  side  sections  of  lesser  height.  The  external  walls 
which  inclose  the  steel  frame  are  of  cement  brick  lined 
on  the  inside  with  red  brick.  A  traveling  crane,  operated 
by  electricity  and  of  10  tons'  capacity,  commands  the 
entire  central  portion  of  the  building,  in  which  the  testing 
of  large  specimens  is  carried  on.  Ample  light  has  been 
provided  for  by  numerous  windows  in  the  side  and  end 
walls,  in  the  clerestory,  and  by  a  skylight  84  feet  long  and 


220  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

9  feet  wide  in  the  north  roof.  The  main  aisle  of  the  build- 
ing is  49  feet  2  inches  between  centers  of  crane  columns, 
and  has  a  clear  height  of  40  feet.  The  remainder  of  the 
width  is  taken  up  by  two  sides  aisles,  20  feet  in  height. 

The  laboratory  consists  of  four  sections:  (a)  a  general 
testing  section  containing  the  testing  machinery,  a  small 
machine  shop,  and  the  office;  (b)  a  cement  testing  room; 

(c)  a  room  for  making  and  storing  concrete  test  specimens; 

(d)  a  hydraulic  section. 

The  testing  section  occupies  the  larger  part  of  the  western 
end  of  the  building  and  contains  all  of  the  testing  machines 
except  the  briquette  machines,  which  are  in  the  cement 
section.  For  facility  in  handling  the  test  specimens,  a 
lo-ton  crane,  47  feet  2  inches  center  to  center  of  runway 
beams,  operated  by  three  direct-current  motors,  has  been 
installed.  A  small  machine  shop,  containing  a  drill  press, 
lathe,  milling  machine,  shaper,  etc.,  operated  by  a  7.5  H.P. 
motor,  is  available  for  general  repair  work. 

The  principal  equipment  of  the  testing  section  proper  is 
as  follows: 

Type  of  Machine.  Capacity  in  Pounds. 

Universal 800,000 

300,000 

100,000 

50,000 

50,000 

50,000 

" 50,000 

" 50,000 

Tension  and  compression 20,000 

Wire  tester 20,000 

Cold  bend 1.5  inch  diameter  Tmr 

Torsion 24,000  inch  pounds 

The  cement  testing  section  occupies  a  separate  room  on 
the  main-floor  level.  The  equipment  consists  of  tables  for 
making  cement  specimens,  storage  tanks,  briquette  testing 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  22$ 

machines,   and   apparatus   for  making   standard   cement 
tests. 

The  concrete  room  is  under  the  cement  room  and  is  used 
by  the  students  for  the  construction  of  cubes,  beams,  and 
cylinders  for  testing;  also  for  the  construction  of  concrete 
columns,  plain  and  reenforced,  and  concrete  beams,  of 
commercial  size,  which  are  tested  for  strength  by  the 
students.  It  is  connected  with  the  main  testing  room  by  a 
hatchway  through  which  the  heavy  specimens  may  be 
hoisted  into  the  main  room  by  the  crane.  The  equipment 
consists  of  bins  for  sand  and  stone,  mixer,  and  moulds. 

The  hydraulic  section  occupies  the  northeastern  portion 
of  the  building.  The  lower  floor  is  10  feet  below  the  level 
of  the  testing  room,  the  second  floor  or  elevated  platform 
is  10  feet  above  the  testing-room  level,  giving  20  feet  of 
clear  height. 

The  equipment  on  the  lower  floor  consists  of: 

i  DeLaval  centrifugal  pump,  2000  gallons  per  minute 

against  60  feet  head. 

i  Atlantic  Hydraulic  Machinery  Co.  centrifugal  pump, 
200  gallons  per  minute  against  255  feet  head. 

1  steel  pressure  tank,  65!  inches^  in  diameter  by  34 

feet  6  inches  high. 

2  steel  calibrating  tanks,  8  feet  in  diameter  by  12  feet 

high. 

3  steel  weighing  tanks,  4  feet  in  diameter  by  3  feet 

high. 

i  steel  weir  tank,  4  feet  by  4  feet  by  21  feet  long, 
i  Trump  turbine, 
i  Pelton  water  wheel, 
i  Rife  hydraulic  ram. 
The  upper  platform  carries: 

i  steel  weir  tank,  3  feet  by  3  feet  by  18  feet  long, 
i  steel  tank,  6|  feet  wide,  3  feet  deep,  17^  feet  long. 


224  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

The  equipment  also  includes  pressure,  mercury,  oil,  and 
hook  gauges,  meters,  scales,  and  so  oh. 

All  electricity  for  lighting  and  for  power  for  the  testing 
machines  and  for  the  pumps  is  2-phase  6o-cycle  alternating 
current  at  no  and  220  volts. 

Instruction  in  testing  of  materials  and  hydraulics  is  given 
to  students  of  Lehigh  University.  The  equipment  is  used 
for  thesis  work  in  the  Senior  year,  and  is  also  used  for 
making  commercial  tests  of  materials  of  construction  for 
manufacturers. 

FRANK  P.  MCKIBBEN, 
Professor  of  Civil  Engineering, 

Lehigh  University. 


II 

«    fc 


(225) 


A  SHORT  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  ANNIVERSARY  DINNER  GIVEN  TO 
JOHN  FRITZ,  THE  ENGINEER,  AND  or  HIS  ARREST,  TRIAL, 
AND  SENTENCE,  AT  THE  OPERA  HOUSE,  BETHLEHEM, 
PA.,  SEPTEMBER  28,  1892.* 

'Twas  in  the  early  summer  of  '92  that  two  gentlemen, 
whose  families  were  then  in  the  Adirondacks,  but  whose 
business  engagements  in  the  city  prevented  them  from  being 
there  as  well,  sat  in  the  parlor  of  the  Engineers'  Club, 
enjoying  their  cigar.  The  phrase  "  enjoying  their  cigar  " 
was  purposely  chosen  because  there  were  but  one  smoker 
and  one  cigar.  The  smoker  evidently  enjoyed  the  smoking, 
while  the  looker-on  enjoyed  seeing  him  smoke,  and  in 
watching  the  curling  wreaths  as  they  slowly  floated  upward. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  the  smoker,  as  he  came  back  from 
dreamland  long  enough  to  tip  with  the  end  of  his  little 
finger  the  dead  ashes  from  off  his  cigar,  "  that  Uncle  John 
Fritz  will  be  seventy  years  old  in  August?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  non-smoker;  "  I  had  heard  of  it,  and  I 
also  heard  it  hinted  that  he  meant  after  that  date  to  unload 
himself  of  a  part  of  the  labors  and  cares  he  has  so  long 
borne  in  connection  with  the  great  establishment  he  has 
been  connected  with  for  so  many  years." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  the  smoker,  who 
with  half-closed  eyes  seemed  to  be  looking  backward  into 
the  past;  "  but  I  tell  you  what  I  think,  and  that  is,  that  the 
Engineers  and  other  friends  of  Mr.  Fritz  ought  not  to  let 
such  an  occasion  pass  without  in  some  way  recognizing  the 

*  Reprint  of  a  pamphlet  compiled  and  published  for  private  circulation 
following  the  dinner  to  Mr.  Fritz  at  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  September  28,  1892, 
signalizing  the  celebration  of  the  seventieth  anniversary  of  his  birthday. 

227 


228  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

event,  and  in  some  way  honoring  the  man,  who,  by  his 
kindly,  loving  disposition,  his  untiring  industry,  and  his 
rare  mechanical  genius,  has  done  so  much  for  the  company 
he  is  connected  with,  and  for  the  profession  of  engineering, 
of  which  he  is  so  conspicuous  a  member." 

"  Well,  that's  an  idea  that  does  you  credit,"  said  the 
non-smoker,  as  he  took  a  sniff  out  of  the  ascending  wreath 
of  incense  as  it  took  its  upward  flight,  "  and  I  not  only 
agree  with  you  myself,  but  I  am  certain  that  all  over  this 
broad  land  are  friends  of  John  Fritz  who  would  do  so  also, 
and  who,  I  know,  would  be  glad  to  join  in  any  scheme  that 
had  such  an  end  in  view." 

So  in  the  gathering  twilight  of  the  summer  day  these 
two  gentlemen  at  their  club  talked  over  a  variety  of  things, 
which,  if  they  could  be  brought  about,  would  accomplish, 
as  they  thought,  the  desired  purpose.  One  was  to  invite 
Mr.  Fritz  to  come  to  New  York  and  give  him  a  dinner  at 
the  club ;  but  the  objection  to  this  was  the  inviting  a  gentle- 
man away  from  his  home  on  his  birthday.  Another  plan 
was  to  present  him  through  the  means  of  a  committee  with 
a  testimonial  of  some  kind.  The  objection  to  this  was  that 
it  would  not  bring  his  friends  together  where  they  could 
shake  him  by  the  hand  and  offer  him  their  individual  con- 
gratulations. Then  it  was  proposed  that  a  few  friends 
should  go  to  Bethlehem  and  have  a  dinner  at  a  hotel,  to 
which  he  should  be  invited,  and  this  seemed  to  be  the  most 
feasible  of  all;  but  it  was  not  forgotten  that  the  person 
whom  it  was  proposed  to  honor  was  extremely  modest,  and 
shy  of  demonstrations  of  every  kind,  and  that,  in  view  of 
this  fact,  it  would  be  best  to  catch  our  hare  before  preparing 
it  for  a  banquet,  and  the  conclusion  arrived  at  was  that  in 
some  way  the  consent  of  Mr.  Fritz  must  be  obtained  before 
anything  could  be  done,  and  as  the  cigar  had  burned  to  the 
end  the  two  conspirators  went  out  into  the  electric-lighted 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  229 

Broadway  and  leisurely  sauntered  homeward,  thus  ending 
this,  the  first  chapter. 

As  Mr.  Fritz  was  not  a  smoker  and  could  not  be  in- 
fluenced by  the  tender  of  a  cigar,  be  it  never  so  fragrant, 
it  was  decided  that  the  non-smoker  should  make  the  trip 
to  Bethlehem  and  undertake  the  somewhat  difficult  task 
of  obtaining  his  consent  to  a  dinner  or  a  demonstration  of 
some  kind.  Understanding  the  difficulties  of  the  mission, 
and  knowing  how  fruitless  the  result  would  be,  if  it  were 
so  awkwardly  managed  as  to  elicit  the  irrevocable  "No! 
I  won't  have  it,"  the  diplomat  decided  not  only  to  approach 
Bethlehem  by  night,  but  when  nearing  it  he  further  de- 
cided to  pass  on  and  land  at  Catasauqua,  there  to  secure 
the  aid  of  a  renowned  citizen  of  that  borough  whose  per- 
suasive powers  had  made  him  famous.  The  Catasauqua 
citizen  entered  into  the  conspiracy  with  the  ardor  and  zeal 
for  which  he  stands  in  high  repute.  He  offered  at  once  to 
"  hitch  up  "  and  drive  over  to  Bethlehem  and  aid  in  the 
assault  upon  that  peaceful  hamlet.  Under  cover  of  the 
darkness  the  journey  was  begun,  and  as  the  lively  team 
sped  over  the  smooth  country  road,  the  various  methods 
of  making  the  assault  were  talked  over,  and,  as  now  re- 
membered, at  the  beginning  of  the  journey  there  was  no 
doubt  whatever  on  the  part  of  anyone  but  that  the  consent 
could  be  obtained  without  the  least  difficulty;  but  the 
nearer  they  came  to  Bethlehem  the  less  certain  this  seemed 
to  be,  until  at  the  last,  as  the  clattering  hoofs  of  the  team 
awakened  echoes  in  those  quiet  streets,  these  doubts  had 
grown  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  deemed  best  not  to 
approach  the  home  of  the  victim  until  further  assistance 
could  be  had  from  near  neighbors  and  personal  friends.  So 
driving  about  for  a  time,  a  home  was  found  which  it  was 
said  was  the  residence  of  an  influential  friend,  but  the 
premises  looked  suspiciously  dark.  However,  the  Catasau- 


230  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

qua  ally  jumped  out  of  the  carriage,  rang  the  door  bell,  and 
after  a  long  wait  was  told  that  the  family  were  all  away  at 
the  seashore.  Coming  back  to  the  carriage,  a  further 
council  was  held,  and,  while  there  were  other  houses  where 
other  friends  lived,  it  was  doubtful  if  they  were  at  home,  so 
it  was  suggested,  why  not  go  at  once  to  Mr.  Fritz's  house 
and  have  it  out  with  him?  "Why  not?"  "Why!  yes; 
of  course,"  said  the  other.  And  the  corner  was  turned, 
and  soon  the  team  was  tied  up  in  front  of  that  most  hospi- 
table mansion,  where,  under  the  shelter  of  the  wide  and 
pleasant  veranda,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fritz,  in  the  calm  quiet 
of  the  summer  evening,  were  found  sitting,  looking  out 
upon  the  same  twinkling  stars  that  had  shone  out  upon 
their  pathway  long  years  before,  when  a  seventieth  birth- 
day seemed  ever  so  far  away.  After  the  hearty  greetings 
that  always  come  to  the  visitor  at  that  home  were  over, 
after  the  merry  jests  were  tossed  and  parried  back  and 
forward,  there  came  a  time  when  the  business  of  the  hour 
claimed  its  place,  and  for  its  success  it  was  necessary  that 
the  victim  should  be  separated  from  his  better  half.  This 
was  accomplished  by  the  Catasauquian  being  suddenly 
attacked  by  a  raging  thirst  that  could  not  be  resisted,  and, 
as  the  hostess  rose  to  give  the  necessary  order,  the  thirsty 
conspirator  followed  her  into  the  house,  and  the  coast  was 
clear.  The  non-smoker  having  no  bribe  to  offer  in  the 
shape  of  a  cigar  with  which  to  pave  the  way,  saw  no  way 
before  him  other  than  to  tell  in  a  simple,  straightforward 
manner  what  the  friends  of  the  listener  would  like  to  do, 
and  that  they  would  like  to  do  these  things  for  several 
reasons:  First,  of  course,  as  a  mark  of  respect  and  esteem 
for  the  listener  as  an  acquaintance  and  friend,  to  show  their 
regard  for  him  for  what  he  had  accomplished  as  an  engineer, 
and  in  elevating  the  profession  of  engineering  higher  in 
the  estimation  of  all;  and  lastly,  they  would  like  to  have  a 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  231 

good  time  themselves,  and  they  thought  the  coining  birth- 
day would  be  a  good  excuse  for  it. 

To  all  this  the  victim  listened  attentively,  and,  as  it 
seemed  to  the  speaker,  revolving  in  his  mind  the  memory 
of  the  past  and  the  varied  experiences  of  a  long  and  busy 
life.  After  something  of  a  pause  he  said:  "You  know 
I  don't  take  much  to  blowing  my  horn,  and  I  don't  exactly 
like  to  be  prominent  in  any  affair  like  what  you  have  been 
telling  me  about.  What  I  have  done  has  not  been  much, 
and  it  is  not  worth  making  a  fuss  about.  I  only  did  the 
best  I  knew  how,  and  "  "  But  your  friends,"  interrupted 
the  first  speaker.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  "  that's  another  thing; 
now,  if  my  friends  (and  I  have  a  great  many  warm  ones)  — 
if  my  friends  think  they  can  come  to  Bethlehem  and  have  a 
dinner  on  my  seventieth  birthday,  and  can  have  a  good  time 
in  so  doing,  I  ought  not  and  will  not  stand  in  the  way. 
So  I  give  my  consent;  but,  remember,  I  am  not  to  be  called 
upon  to  say  anything."  "  Oh,  no;  of  course  not,"  was  the 
reply,  as  the  hostess  and  her  guest  returned  to  their  chairs. 

The  neighborhood  talk  went  on  again  until  the  drive  to 
Catasauqua  was  remembered,  and,  as  the  carriage  rolled 
away,  hearty  good-nights  were  exchanged,  for  the  con- 
spirators had  won,  and  the  second  chapter  was  ended. 

Were  you  present  at  the  dinner  given  to  John  Fritz,  the 
engineer,  at  the  Opera  House  in  Bethlehem,  September  28, 
1892?  Oh!  you  were?  Ah!  well,  then,  you  need  not  read 
anything  beyond  this,  for  what  is  hereinafter  written  is  for 
the  man  who  kindly  contributed  to  aid  that  affair,  but  who 
could  not  himself  be  present,  and  also  for  a  number  of 
other  persons,  both  in  this  country  and  Europe,  who  were 
honored  with  invitations  as  guests,  and  who  would  most 
gladly  have  been  there  to  assist  in  honoring  their  friend, 
but  who  could  not  come. 

The  inception  of  the  affair  having  been  thus  briefly 


232  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

explained  and  the  preliminary  steps  described,  it  only 
remains  to  relate  as  briefly  as  possible  what  was  said  and 
done,  and  who  were  there. 

The  next  step  taken  was  the  selection  of  a  General 
Committee,  that  should  be  representative  as  to  position 
and  character,  and  so  widely  located  as  that  it  might  be 
considered  National  rather  than  local,  all  of  which  was 
accomplished  when  the  following  gentlemen  consented  to 
serve: 

ECKLEY  B.  COXE,  Coxe  Bros.  &  Co.,  Drifton,  Pa. 

S.  W.  BALDWIN,  New  York  Sales  Agent  Pennsylvania  Steel  Co., 

New  York  City. 

R.  P.  LINDERMAN,  President  Bethlehem  Iron  Co.,  Bethlehem,  Pa. 
E.  D.  LEAVITT,  Consulting  Engineer  Calumet  &  Hecla  Mining  Co., 

Boston,  Mass. 

OLIVER  WILLIAMS,  President  Catasauqua  Mfg.  Co.,  Catasauqua,  Pa. 
S.  T.  WELLMAN,  President  Wellman  Steel  and  Iron  Co.,  Thurlow,  Pa. 
JAMES  MOORE,  Bush  Hill  Iron  Works,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
ROBT.  W.  HUNT,  President  R.  W.  H.  Inspection  Co.,  Chicago,  111. 
J.  F.  HOLLOWAY,  President  Engineers'  Club,  New  York  City. 
W.  H.  WILEY,  Treasurer,  New  York  City. 
CHAS.KIRCHHOFF,  Secretary,  96  Reade  St.,  New  York  City. 

On  August  8th  a  circular-letter  was  sent  out  by  the 
General  Committee  to  such  friends  of  Mr.  Fritz  as  it  was 
thought  could  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  offered, 
and  in  which  was  briefly  stated  the  purpose  of  the  proposed 
gathering,  and  the  reason  why  the  25th  of  August  had  been 
selected.  The  first  responses  that  came  to  the  Committee 
were  protests  against  the  date  selected,  for  the  reason  that 
so  many  were  either  away  on  their  vacation  or  had  planned 
to  be  away,  all  wishing  so  much  to  be  present  and  to  take 
a  part  in  the  exercises.  So,  in  deference  to  such  a  general 
request,  the  date  of  the  dinner  was  changed  to  September 
28,  and  later  on  another  circular  was  sent  out  requesting 
the  person  to  whom  it  was  addressed  to  indicate  if  he  would 
or  would  not  be  present. 


FIG.  1 6.  —  JOHN  FRITZ,  1892. 


(233) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  235 

It  had  been  the  expectation  of  the  Committee  that 
enough  people  would  respond  favorably  to  make  quite  a 
little  dinner  party  at  some  one  of  the  hotels  in  Bethle- 
hem, and  the  smoker,  who  had  burned  quite  a  number  of 
cigars  "  thinking  it  over,"  was  so  confident  of  success  that 
he  was  willing  to  wager  on  at  least  twenty-five.  Scarce 
twenty-four  hours  had  elapsed  before  the  returns  began  to 
come  in,  and  but  a  few  days  passed  before  it  became  evident 
that  no  hotel  could  accommodate  the  party,  and  inquiries 
were  set  on  foot  to  see  if  the  large  hall  in  the  University 
building  could  be  had,  and,  while  a  prompt  and  favorable 
reply  came,  it  soon  became  evident  no  hall  there  was  large 
enough  to  hold  the  friends  of  John  Fritz,  and  so  at  last 
it  was  apparent  that  nothing  of  less  dimensions  than  the 
Opera  House  would  answer  the  purpose. 

The  magnitude  of  the  affair  having  outgrown  the  ex- 
pectations of  the  Committee  (and  the  wildest  dreams  of 
the  smoker),  it  became  necessary  to  select  a  local  committee, 
to  whom  should  be  intrusted  the  preparation  of  what  now 
promised  to  be  a  large  gathering. 

The  committee  selected  for  this  purpose  consisted  of 
Robt.  P.  Linderman,  President  of  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., 
chairman,  and  W.  H.  Jaques,  Garrett  B.  Linderman, 
W.  A.  Wilbur,  Rollin  H.  Wilbur,  and  E.  H.  Mcllvaine,  and 
it  was  to  their  good  judgment  and  careful  attention  to  the 
details  of  preparation  that  much  of  the  success  of  the  affair 
was  due.  The  date  of  the  dinner  having  been  definitely 
fixed,  the  local  committee  proceeded  to  have  the  parquet  of 
the  Opera  House  floored  over  level  with  the  stage,  and  to 
having  the  entire  house  properly  decorated.  This  was  done 
in  admirably  good  taste,  with  flags  and  banners,  waving 
palm  trees,  floral  designs,  and  grouped  and  scattered 
electric  lights  of  various  hues,  until,  taken  as  a  whole,  it 
was  fairy-like  and  beautiful  to  a  degree  rarely  excelled. 


236  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

At  the  rear  of  the  stage  an  arch  of  immortelles  inter- 
twined with  white  rosettes  of  flowers  and  glowing  electric 
lamps  hung  above  the  inscription  "  Anniversary  to  John 
Fritz,"  while  along  the  long  lines  of  tables  huge  banks  of 
flowers  lent  perfume  to  the  air  and  brightness  to  the  scene. 

At  the  center  of  the  head  cross  table  and  immediately 
in  front  of  the  honored  guest  of  the  evening  stood  a  huge 
columbiad  mounted  on  wheels,  the  whole  composed  of 
beautiful  flowers  and  loaded  to  the  muzzle  with  good  things 
and  trained  towards  the  assembled  guests,  as  emblematic 
of  the  kind  of  guns  and  projectiles  "  Uncle  John  "  would 
always  be  glad  to  fire  off  against  friend  or  foe.  Special  cars 
kindly  tendered  by  officers  of  the  Reading  Railway  System 
for  the  occasion  brought  the  invited  guests  from  New  York 
and  Philadelphia,  and,  as  both  trains  rolled  up  to  the 
station,  carriages  in  waiting  distributed  them  among  the 
various  hotels  and  the  numerous  private  residences  that 
so  generously  had  opened  their  doors  to  receive  them. 

By  7  P.  M.  the  parlors  and  halls  of  the  Hotel  Wyandotte, 
and  the  vestibule  of  the  Opera  House,  which  had  been 
specially  connected  for  the  occasion,  were  rilled  with  as 
notable  an  assembly  of  men  of  affairs  as  it  is  possible  to 
conceive.  Here  were  men  long  known  as  the  foremost  iron 
and  steel  masters  of  the  country.  Mine  owners  stood  sand- 
wiched in  between  managers  of  blast  furnaces  and  super- 
intendents of  steel  plants,  while  engineers,  famous  for  what 
they  had  accomplished  at  home  and  abroad,  stood  side  by 
side  with  capitalists  and  bankers  whose  invested  means  had 
made  possible  the  building  of  the  famous  industrial  works 
that  are  dotted  all  over  our  country,  and  which  serve  to 
make  the  United  States  the  foremost  nation  of  the  world 
in  industrial  pursuits.  Here  and  there,  meeting,  perhaps, 
for  the  first  time  after  a  lapse  of  years,  were  men  identified 
with  the  building  and  operating  of  the  first  mills  to  roll 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  237 

rails,  or  the  first  plants  to  make  Bessemer  steel,  in  this 
country.  Presidents  of  colleges  and  professors  of  engineer- 
ing in  technical  institutions  were  there,  and,  as  well,  pro- 
prietors and  editors  of  journals  devoted  to  science  and 
art.  Ministers  of  various  creeds  vied  with  each  other  to  do 
honor  to  the  engineer,  while  lawyers  and  laymen  talked  of 
what  he  had  done.  In  the  midst  of  all  stood  the  man  they 
had  come  to  honor,  grasping  as  best  he  could  the  hands  that 
were  stretched  out  from  all  sides,  and  answering  as  oppor- 
tunity would  allow  the  hearty  greetings  and  congratulations 
that  were  showered  upon  him  by  everyone.  Soon  the  open- 
ing doors  of  the  Opera  House  revealed  a  scene  of  beauty 
none  who  were  there  that  night  will  soon  forget,  as,  keeping 
step  to  music  whose  strains  were  not  unlike  an  "  Anvil 
Chorus,"  they  marched  in  to  take  their  appointed  places  at 
one  of  the  many  well-decorated  tables  that  greeted  their 
vision.  Standing  with  bowed  heads,  they  listened  to  the 
invocation  of  a  blessing  upon  the  occasion,  and  all  that  it 
meant,  and  upon  all  that  participated  therein. 

The  banquet,  served  by  the  Hotel  Wyandotte,  and  under 
the  special  supervision  of  the  steward  of  the  Reading 
Railway  Company,  who,  with  his  assistants,  came  up  from 
Philadelphia  for  the  occasion,  left  nothing  to  be  wished  for. 
Mingling  with  the  mellow  strains  of  music  that  floated  in 
the  air  were  the  tales  of  the  guest  told  to  the  neighbor  by  his 
side  or  across  the  table;  many  a  merry  jest  was  tossed  to  and 
fro  as  friends  were  recognized  up  or  down  the  tables,  who, 
perhaps,  had  not  met  before  for  years;  and  so,  amid  a  babel 
of  sounds  mingled  with  bursts  of  uncontrollable  laughter, 
the  hours  sped  on,  until  with  the  arrival  of  coffee  and  cigars 
came  the  reminder  that  the  feast  of  edibles  was  over,  and, 
if  there  was  to  be  a  flow  of  soul,  the  hour  had  come. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  idea  of  the  dinner  had  origi- 
nated at  the  Engineers'  Club  of  New  York,  and  that  many  of 


238  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

its  members  were  the  friends  of  Mr.  Fritz,  the  compliment  of 
presiding  over  the  occasion  was  .tendered  to  the  President 
of  that  club,  Mr.  J.  F.  Holloway.  Fortunately  the  duties  of 
the  Chairman  were  greatly  lightened  by  the  fact  that,  in 
deference  to  the  wish  of  Mr.  Fritz  that  the  usual  custom 
of  proposing  and  answering  toasts  should  not  be  followed, 
there  was  left  but  little  for  him  to  do.  In  order  that  the 
"  subsequent  proceedings  "  should  not  be  entirely  devoid 
of  interest,  a  scheme  had  been  quietly  arranged  among  a 
few  of  those  present,  which,  while  it  would  be  a  surprise  to 
nearly  everyone,  would  permit  a  few  to  indulge  in  "  talk  " 
which  by  no  means  could  be  construed  into  speech-making. 
The  scheme  proposed  was  to  turn  the  after-dinner  procedure 
into  a  Mock  Court,  with  all  the  paraphernalia  of  judges, 
court  officers,  attorneys,  and  witnesses,  while  the  criminal 
was  to  be  the  honored  guest  of  the  evening.  So  well  had 
been  the  plan  arranged,  so  admirably  was  it  carried  out  in 
the  arranging  of  the  tables  and  the  seating  of  those  selected 
for  the  court  proceedings,  that,  without  the  slightest  hitch 
and  without  any  change  except  in  a  few  instances  the  turn- 
ing of  one's  chair,  the  court  was  speedily  arranged  and 
organized  ready  for  business. 

In  opening  the  legal  proceedings,  the  Chairman,  who,  as 
he  said,  "  By  reason  of  powers  conferred  upon  him  by  the 
Vice-Chancellor  of  New  Jersey  and  a  lot  of  fellows  in  New 
York,  had  assumed  the  duties  of  Attorney- General,"  now 
proceeded  briefly  to  outline  the  situation  and  explain  the 
occasion  that  had  served  to  bring  all  present  together. 
He  said  the  remarkable  feature  of  the  whole  was  the  hearty 
interest  and  cooperation  of  everyone  who  had  been  seen  or 
written  to  in  regard  to  the  affair.  This  was  not  only  true  of 
this  country,  but  also  of  those  who,  living  in  foreign  lands, 
had  been  tendered  invitations  as  guests  of  the  Committee, 
and  friends  and  acquaintances  of  Mr.  Fritz;  and  one  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  239 

the  pleasurable  features,  which,  unfortunately,  all  could  not 
for  want  of  time  participate  in,  was  the  letters  that  had 
been  received  by  Mr.  Fritz  and  the  Committee,  brief  ex- 
tracts of  which  only  could  be  read.  These  letters  and 
cables,  brimful  as  they  were  of  kindly  regards  and  warm 
appreciation  of  the  host  as  a  man,  spoke  in  the  highest 
terms  of  what  he  had  done  in  bringing  about  a  better  under- 
standing among  engineers  and  in  building  up  ties  of  kindly 
brotherhood  and  good  will. 

Short  extracts  were  then  read  from  letters  received  from 
such  eminent  foreign  engineers  as  Sir  I.  Lowthian  Bell, 
E.  Windsor  Richards,  E.  P.  Martin,  C.  P.  Sandberg,  J. 
Hoecher,  Professor  Herman  Wedding,  Adolph  Grainer,  Sir 
James  Kitson,  Richard  Akerman,  James  Dredge,  and  others, 
leaving  a  mass  of  other  letters  which  could  only  be  referred 
to.  As  well  were  there  letters  (some  of  which  were  read) 
from  friends  in  this  country,  who,  by  reason  of  absence  from 
home  or  otherwise,  could  not  be  present,  much  to  their 
regret.  These  various  letters,  which  of  themselves  would 
make  quite  a  volume,  would,  if  published,  be  of  much 
interest  to  engineers  of  all  professions;  for  outside  of  the 
personal  good  will  they  contain,  they  show  a  high  regard 
for  the  "  American  engineer  "  and  for  what  in  so  short  a 
time  he  has  accomplished. 

When  the  Chairman  announced  that  one  John  Fritz, 
of  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  was  to  be  arrested  and  brought  to  trial 
then  and  there  on  the  charge  of  pretending  to  be  an  "  en- 
gineer," and  for  pretending  to  know  something  about 
making  steel,  the  absurdity  of  the  charge  and  the  novelty 
of  the  procedure  instantly  caught  the  fancy  of  his  assembled 
friends,  and  such  a  shout  and  such  a  cheer  as  there  arose 
that  Opera  House  had  never  before  heard.  The  Attorney- 
General  (in  view  of  the  authority  which  he  said  had  been 
conferred  upon  him)  proceeded  in  the  most  arbitrary  and 


240  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

despotic  manner  to  select  judges,  sheriff,  clerk,  bailiffs,  and 
officers  of  the  court  in  general.  The  selections  he  made, 
as  it  turned  out,  proved  so  exceedingly  judicious  that  no 
one  ventured  either  to  object  or  decline.  The  names  of 
those  selected  were  as  follows: 

CHIEF  JUSTICE. 
R.  A.  Lamberton,  Prest.  Lehigh  University. 

ASSOCIATE  JUDGES. 

Charles  H.  Loring,  Prest.  American  Society  Mechanical  Engineers. 
G.  W.  Melville,  Engineer-in-chief  United  States  Navy. 
William  Sellers,  Prest.  William  Sellers  &  Co. 
Henry  Morton,  Prest.  Stevens  Institute. 
Charles  E.  Emery,  Consulting  Engineer. 
John  M.  Hartman,  of  Hartman  &  Taws. 

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. 
J.  F.  Holloway,  Prest.  Engineers'  Club,  New  York. 

DISTRICT  ATTORNEYS. 

John  Birkinbine,  Prest.  American  Institute  Mining  Engineers. 
Oliver  Williams,  Prest.  Catasauqua  Manufacturing  Co. 
Jos.  D.  Weeks,  Editor  "American  Manufacturer  and  Iron  World." 

COUNSEL  FOR  PRISONER. 

R.  W.  Raymond,  Sec.  American  Institute  Mining  Engineers. 
General  W.  Emil  Doster. 
J.  Davis  Brodhead,  Esq. 

HIGH  SHERIFF. 
William  F.  Durfee,  Supt.  C.  W.  Hunt  Co. 

CLERK  OF  THE  COURT. 
Charles  Kirchhoff,  Editor  "Iron  Age." 

COURT  REPORTER. 
E.  G.  Spilsbury,  Managing  Director,  Cooper,  Hewitt  &  Co. 

WITNESSES. 

R.  W.  Hunt,  Prest.  R.  W.  Hunt  Inspection  Co. 
E.  D.  Leavitt,  Consulting  Engineer  Calumet  &  Hecla  Mining  Co. 
John  Thomas,  Gen.  Supt.  Thomas  Iron  Co. 
And  others. 

PRISONER. 

Uncle  John  Fritz. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  241 

The  judges  being  in  place  on  the  bench,  the  court  was 
opened  by  a  comprehensive  and  bombastic  proclamation 
by  the  sheriff,  partly  in  English,  somewhat  in  Latin,  with 
a  sprinkling  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch,  in  which  the  case  of 
the  Commonwealth  vs.  John  Fritz  was  announced,  and  the 
prisoner  placed  in  the  dock.  Next  came  the  reading', by 
the  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  an  indictment  purporting  to  have 
come  from  some  mythical  Grand  Jury,  which  proceeded  to 
give  a  comprehensive  outline  of  the  life  of  the  prisoner, 
beginning  with  his  boyhood  on  the  farm,  and  his  early 
training  in  riding  bareback  (the  "  bareback  "  objected  to 
by  the  counsel  for  the  prisoner,  but  objection  overruled  by 
the  Court)  to  mill,  and  in  plowing  corn,  all  of  which, 
while  of  value  to  a  farmer,  was  by  no  means  a  suitable 
training  for  an  engineer,  at  least  not  as  engineers  are  now 
trained  at  Stevens  Institute,  Cornell,  and  other  famous 
training  schools.  The  indictment  showed  how  the  prisoner, 
growing  up,  turned  his  back  (same  objection  by  counsel, 
and  overruled)  on  the  old  farm,  and  sought  out  a  country 
blacksmith  and  machine  shop,  where  he  thumped  his 
fingers,  greased  his  clothes,  and  grew  black  in  the  face, 
thinking  he  was  becoming  an  engineer.  The  indictment 
said  (and  it  was  proved  by  old  citizens  called  upon  the 
stand)  that  later  on  this  man  came  to  Bethlehem,  where, 
selecting  a  fine  wheatfield,  he  threw  down  the  fence  and 
built  thereon  furnaces  and  rolling  mills,  covering  the  entire 
field  with  ashes  and  cinders,  buildings  and  railway  tracks, 
until  it  was  not  now  worth  a  cent  an  acre  (for  farming). 

Notwithstanding  the  care  and  minuteness  with  which 
the  indictment  had  been  prepared,  it  was  no  sooner  read 
than  the  senior  counsel  for  the  prisoner,  Sergeant  Raymond, 
arose  and  moved  that  "  the  indictment  be  quashed." 
Thereupon  the  associate  counsel,  Solicitor  J.  Davis  B rod- 
head,  proceeded,  in  a  manner  that  will  not  soon  be  forgotten 


242  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

by  those  who  listened  to  him,  to  show  the  court  how  illegal 
was  the  indictment  in  every  respect,  how  loosely  drawn; 
how  deficient  in  definite  statement,  and  how  no  court  of 
any  grade  —  not  to  say  a  court  of  such  high  distinction  as 
was  this  —  could  for  a  moment  permit  such  an  indictment 
to  have  a  standing.  But  it  did  stand,  the  Court  overruling 
the  motion  and  directing  that  the  trial  should  proceed. 

At  this  moment  the  doors  of  the  balcony  were  opened, 
and  the  ladies  of  Bethlehem,  preceded  by  Mrs.  Fritz,  filed 
in,  taking  the  seats  that  had  been  reserved  for  them.  As 
they  came  in,  a  Catasauquian,  rising  to  his  feet,  said  that, 
while  he  was  there  to  prosecute  the  prisoner  to  the  bitter 
end,  he  would  say  that  he  was  blessed  with  a  good  wife: 
"Let  us  give  her  three  cheers!"  They  were  given,  all 
rising,  and  he  could  have  had  more  just  for  the  asking  for 
them. 

No  attempt  will  be  made  to  describe  the  scene  of  that 
famous  trial.  Witnesses  were  called  on  behalf  of  the 
prosecution  that  promised  well  at  the  start,  but  under  the 
cross  fire  of  counsel  weakened,  until,  at  last,  all  they  had 
said  against  the  prisoner  was  turned  in  his  favor.  Inter- 
jection of  witticisms  between  opposing  counsel,  mingled 
with  unheard-of  rulings  by  the  Court,  were  wont  to  set  the 
tables  in  a  roar;  "  quips  and  quirks  and  paper  bullets  of 
the  brain  "  were  shot  forth  on  all  sides,  rebounding  to  and 
fro,  until  court,  judges,  attorneys,  prisoner,  and  all  held 
their  sides  as  they  bent  backwards  and  forwards  in  un- 
controllable shouts  of  laughter.  The  gravest  men  there 
were  swept  into  the  wild  whirl,  while  the  jolliest  simply 
shouted  as  they  wiped  the  tears  from  off  their  cheeks. 
At  last,  the  speeches  of  the  counsel  on  either  side  having 
been  made,  the  Chief  Justice,  summing  up  the  evidence  in 
a  most  masterly  manner,  proceeded,  after  a  conference 
with  his  associates,  to  announce  the  decision  of  the  court, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  243 

which  was,  the  acquittal  of  the  prisoner;  and,  as  the  statute 
made  no  provision  for  hanging  the  prosecution,  the  decision 
of  the  court  was  that  they  should  pay  all  the  costs. 

In  conveying  to  the  prisoner  at  the  bar  the  decision  of 
the  bench,  the  Chief  Justice  availed  himself  of  the  oppor- 
tunity to  pay  him  such  a  tribute  of  love  and  esteem  as 
was  well  warranted  by  their  long  friendship  for  each  other 
as  neighbors,  and  also  by  reason  of  what  he  (the  prisoner) 
had  so  well  done  in  aiding  by  his  presence  and  counsel  at 
the  board  meetings  of  the  institution  of  learning  over  which 
he  (the  Judge)  had  the  honor  to  preside.  It  was  a  loving 
tribute  from  one  old  friend  to  another,  the  recital  of  which 
touched  the  heart  of  everyone  who  in  that  quiet  house 
listened  to  catch  each  word.  As  the  Doctor  wound  up  he 
said  to  the  prisoner,  who,  with  bowed  head,  stood  before 
him:  "  And  now,  John,  we  could  not  let  you  go  without 
receiving,  if  not  a  penalty  sentence,  at  least  something, " 
and  turning  toward  the  stage  box  at  his  right,  as  he  waved 
his  hand,  the  slowly  parting  portieres  revealed  standing 
therein  a  splendid  Hall  tubular  chime  clock,  of  Tiffany's 
best,  which,  as  the  prisoner  raised  his  wondering  eyes 
towards  it,  rang  out  sweet  and  clear  the  famous  chimes 
which  long  years  ago  had  pealed  out  over  London's  air 
from  the  ringing  "  Bow  Bells,"  and  which,  like  the  bells 
of  old,  as  they  smote  upon  the  ear  of  Whittington,  thrice 
Lord  Mayor,  seemed  to  say,  "  Turn  back,  turn  back." 
They  were  the  midnight  chimes,  although  the  midnight 
had  long  since  passed.  As  the  sounds  died  out  and  the 
cheering  that  followed  was  over,  the  Doctor  proceeded  to 
say,  "  That  clock  is  yours,  John.  It  will  be  taken  to  your 
home,  there,  as  we  hope,  to  ring  out  its  hourly  chimes  for 
years  to  come,  and  our  wish  is  that,  when  by  day  or  night 
its  sweet  music  shall  fall  upon  your  ear  and  that  of  your 
loving  wife,  it  will  awaken  memories  as  sweet  of  this  night, 


244  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

and  memories  not  only  of  the  host  of  friends  that  are 
gathered  here,  but  of  the  larger  host  of  your  friends  else- 
where who  could  not  be  here  as  well."  Then,  turning  to 
the  listening  throng,  he  added:  "  Dear  friends,  let  us  pray 
that  these  moving  hands  will  measure  off  many  hours  of 
peace  and  happiness  in  that  quiet  home  to  which  they  will 
be  sent,  and,  when  its  last  chimes  have  been  rung  out  in 
the  hearing  of  our  dear  friends  on  earth,  may  they  hear 
them  anew  in  that  peaceful  state  that  passes  all  under- 
standing. I  hope  you  all  will  join  with  me  in  saying, 
'  We  love  John  Fritz !  God  bless  John  and  EUen  B.  Fritz ! '  " 
And  as  the  deeply  felt  amen  died  out,  joining  hands,  all 
sang  "  Should  Auld  Acquaintance  be  Forgot."  And  so 
ends  this  chapter. 

THIS  IS  THE  INDICTMENT  PRESENTED  BY  THE  GRAND  JURY, 
AND  ON  WHICH  HE  WAS  TRIED. 

May  it  please  the  Court,  the  Grand  Jury,  composed  of 
hangers-on  about  the  Court,  shoemakers,  tinsmiths,  car- 
penters and  joiners,  members  of  Congress,  briefless  lawyers 
and  clergymen  on  call,  being  duly  sworn,  and  all  (except 
a  few  from  New  Jersey)  being  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
and  good  men  and  true,  having  been  informed  that  one, 
John  Fritz,  of  the  Borough  of  Bethlehem,  County  of  North- 
ampton, State  of  Pennsylvania,  had  said  in  the  presence  of 
reliable  witnesses,  that  he  believed  that  he  could  make  a  rail 
train,  and  that  if  he  had  a  chance  he  thought  he  could  build 
a  blast  furnace,  blowing  engines  and  all;  that  he  had  been 
known  to  aver,  that  if  he  had  given  him  the  right  kind  of 
stuff  he  could  make  steel;  that  at  sundry  times  and  places 
he  has  been  known  to  attend  gatherings  of  iron  and  steel 
makers,  had  gone  to  meetings  of  engineers,  and  had  then 
and  there  talked  about  tensile  strength,  carbon,  phos- 
phorus, etc,,  and  about  three-high  rail  trains,  about  expan- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  245 

sion,  and  on  one  occasion  was  heard  to  say  that  he  knew 
about  pumps,  but  he  afterwards  retracted  and  said  he 
thought  he  knew  about  them,  but  had  since  learned  that 
he  was  mistaken;  that  in  this  and  many  other  ways  he  had 
endeavored  to  mislead  the  public  into  the  belief  that  he 
was  an  engineer,  and  an  iron  and  steel  maker.  The  Grand 
Jury  hearing  that  many  persons  calling  themselves  engi- 
neers, and  iron  and  steel  makers,  were  going  up  and  down 
through  the  land  persuading  men  to  put  money  into  works 
for  making  iron  and  steel  by  all  kinds  of  processes,  but 
mostly  by  short-cut  processes,  and  into  building  machinery 
which,  if  it  worked  at  all,  worked  directly  the  opposite  way 
from  what  it  was  intended  and  promised,  the  Grand  Jury 
felt  it  their  duty  to  investigate  as  to  the  antecedents  of  this 
man  Fritz,  and  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  whether,  by  reason 
of  his  education  or  practice,  he  had  any  right  to  call  himself 
an  engineer,  so  that  if  he  had  no  such  right  he  might  be 
prevented  from  inflicting  injury  and  bringing  serious  loss 
upon  the  honest  but  too  confiding  citizens  of  this  Common- 
wealth. 

The  jury  find  that  this  aforesaid  Fritz,  who  now  sets 
himself  up  as  an  engineer,  was,  and  ought  now  to  be,  a 
farmer;  that  he  was  born  and  raised  on  a  farm,  in  the  town- 
ship of  Londonderry,  county  of  Chester,  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, near  Doe  Creek;  that,  when  he  was  large  enough,  he 
split  wood  to  heat  up  his  mother's  brick  oven,  and  was  paid 
for  so  doing  with  a  "  turnover, "  baked  after  the  bread 
came  out. 

Then  later  on  he  rode  the  old  white  horse  bareback,  while 
his  father  held  the  plow  through  the  rows  of  the  waving 
corn.  That  later  still  he  rode  the  same  horse  over  to  the 
grist  mill,  where  he  waited  for  his  grist  to  be  ground.  The 
jury  have  ascertained,  from  sources  entirely  reliable,  that 
in  the  summer  time  and  while  waiting  for  his  grist  it  was 


246  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  practice  of  this  pretending  engineer  to  roll  up  his  low 
pants  and  wade  in  the  tail-race  and  watch  the  big  water- 
wheel  go  round. 

It  was  not  clearly  proven  to  the  jury  whether  it  was  in 
watching  the  movement  of  the  big  water-wheel  or  listening 
to  the  merry  rattle  of  the  damsel  as  it  fed  the  corn  into  the 
eye  of  the  millstone,  or  in  gazing  at  the  wooden  cog  wheels 
as  they  rolled  together,  or  listening  to  the  knocking  of  the 
revolving  reels,  that  the  idea  first  came  to  him  to  wish  to 
be  an  engineer;  but  there  is  no  doubt  it  was  then  and  there 
he  was  first  filled  with  ambition  to  the  extent  that  he  said  to 
himself,  "  If  I  ever  grow  up  to  be  a  man,  I  will  make  the 
wheels  go  round  too."  The  jury  being  well  informed  as  to 
the  education  of  engineers,  as  they  are  annually  being 
turned  out  in  great  numbers  from  our  colleges,  each  one 
having  a  long  roll  of  parchment  paper,  tied  up  with  blue 
ribbon,  they  investigated  as  to  the  college  from  which  this 
man  graduated,  and  they  found  that  his  entire  education 
had  been  obtained  in  his  attendance  at  a  red  schoolhouse 
on  the  hill,  about  two  miles  away  from  his  home.  That  he 
spent  there  several  winters  in  terms  of  three  months'  school- 
ing, for  the  reason  that  at  that  time  of  the  year  the  business 
of  plowing  was  rather  dull.  In  addition  to  this  splendid 
opportunity  for  procuring  an  education,  he  also  attended 
several  evening  spelling  bees,  and  was  assessed,  as  all  the 
rest  were,  to  occasionally  bring  a  candle.  While  it  is 
possible  that  he  may  have  graduated  from  this  institution 
with  high  honors,  he  cannot  now  prove  it,  because  the 
master  he  once  helped  to  "  lock  out "  is  dead,  and  his 
diploma  (if  he  ever  had  one)  has  been  mislaid.  It  was  also 
ascertained  that  the  education  of  this  pretending  engineer 
received  some  extra  polishing  touches  at  a  "  night  school  " 
which  he  attended  (whenever  he  could  get  a  chance), 
which  was  situated  at  the  cross-roads  down  near  the  creek. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  247 

It  was  known  as  the  Blacksmith  Shop.  Here  on  winter 
nights  he  would  perch  himself  on  an  empty  keg  at  the  back 
of  the  forge,  with  his  head  in  the  smoke  and  his  toes  in  the 
warm  ashes;  he  by  the  hour  watched  the  blacksmith  heat 
and  pound,  bend  and  weld,  the  iron  as  he  formed  it  into 
shoes  for  horses  or  irons  for  the  wagon,  listening  the  mean- 
while to  tales  of  spooks  and  Indians  told  by  the  old  settlers 
as  they  sat  around  the  smithy  and  smoked,  until  his  creeping 
hair  almost  raised  his  cap  while  he  waited  in  patience  for 
someone  going  his  way  to  start  for  home.  While  the  jury 
(at  least  some  of  them)  recognized  the  country  school  and 
the  blacksmith  shop  as  valuable  aids  to  an  education,  as 
a  whole  they  do  not  believe  they  would  at  this  time  warrant 
anyone  in  calling  himself  a  "  mechanical  engineer  "  or  an 
expert  in  making  steel.  The  jury  further  found  that  this 
man  in  his  younger  days  left  the  farm  and  the  profession  of 
agriculture,  of  which  he  would  no  doubt  have  been  a  shining 
ornament  had  he  continued  in  the  way  he  began,  and  went 
up  to  Parkesburg  and  took  the  position  of  "  cub  "  in  a 
country  machine  shop,  having  as  well  a  foundry  attachment. 
Here  he,  so  to  speak,  let  himself  out  in  repairing  and 
renewing  lame  and  spavined  horse-powers,  and  in  bracing 
up  worn  and  unbalanced  threshing  machines,  varying  his 
labors  by  occasionally  turning  a  gudgeon  in  a  hand  lathe. 
As  an  example  of  the  pushing,  pretentious  ways  this  man 
has,  the  jury  learned  that  he  soon  after  left  the  allurements 
of  the  country  machine  shop,  going  up  to  Norristown,  and, 
by  representations  as  yet  unknown  to  the  jury,  there 
obtained  a  job  in  a  bar,  plate,  and  nail  mill.  While  in 
Norristown  he  claimed  that  he  served  an  apprenticeship 
at  the  "  dentistry  business; "  this  bold  claim  was  not  be- 
lieved by  many  of  the  jury,  and  witnesses  were  examined 
and  cross-questioned,  when  it  came  out  in  evidence  that 
the  "  dentistry  business  "  consisted  in  repairing  the  broken 


248  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

teeth  of  the  gear  wheels  at  night  that  had  dropped  off  during 
the  day;  and  he  was  reported  to  have  said  that,  if  at  any 
time  he  had  any  fears  of  being  out  of  a  job,  he  went  and 
looked  in  the  wheel  pits  and  was  sure  to  find  work.  It  was 
further  reported  that  this  man  Fritz  claimed  to  be  very 
expert  in  setting  "  single  teeth,"  but  that  he  did  not  pre- 
tend to  know  much  about  "  plate  work  "  at  that  time,  but 
later  on  in  his  life  it  is  said  that  he  did  some  very  creditable 
work  in  that  line  as  well,  for  his  Uncle  Sam. 

It  is  hardly  worth  while  to  further  occupy  the  time  of 
the  Court  in  showing  how  preposterous  it  is  for  a  man  with 
such  an  education  and  experience  to  pretend  to  be  an 
"  engineer  "  or  a  steel  maker. 

The  second  count  of  the  indictment  is,  that  the  aforesaid 
John  Fritz  is  a  disturber  of  the  peace. 

Several  years  ago  this  man,  now  at  the  bar  of  this  Court, 
came  to  the  borough  of  Bethlehem,  and,  as  it  is  supposed, 
for  the  purpose  of  attending  a  horse  race;  at  least  that  was 
the  ostensible  object  of  his  visit.  The  race  course  was  a 
large,  level  field  on  the  banks  of  the  Lehigh,  below  the 
town,  and  away  from  any  settlement.  Sitting  on  the  top 
rail  of  the  fence,  watching  the  boys  trot  their  blooded  steeds, 
the  notion  came  into  his  head  that  the  land  about  there 
would  be  a  pretty  good  place  on  which  to  build  a  blast 
furnace,  and  perhaps  a  rolling  mill  or  two.  It  is  one  of  the 
known  peculiarities  of  this  man  that  when  he  gets  a  notion 
in  his  head  all  creation  cannot  change  him,  and  there  are 
witnesses  here  in  court  who  can  testify  to  this.  So,  having 
conceived  the  notion  of  covering  this  race  course  with 
furnaces  and  mills,  the  people  who  knew  him  best  said  it 
would  be  of  no  use  opposing  him,  and  that  they  might  as 
well  come  down  with  the  dust  first  as  last,  and  they  did, 
and  he  not  only  covered  the  race  track  with  blast  furnaces, 
rail  mills,  workshops,  etc.,  but  he  covered  the  farms  adjoin- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  249 

ing,  and  this  can  also  be  proved  if  necessary.  By  a  careful 
search  of  the  records  and  by  examining  recently  published 
documents,  the  Grand  Jury  learned  that  many  years  ago  a 
body  of  peace-loving,  mild,  and  unassuming  persons  came 
from  over  the  sea  to  find,  if  possible,  in  the  New  World  a 
spot  where  they  could  live  a  quiet  life  and  be  assured  of 
an  undisturbed  rest  afterwards.  They  found,  as  they  be- 
lieved, such  a  spot  in  the  wilderness,  here  on  the  banks  of 
the  Lehigh.  Purchasing  the  land  from  the  native  Ameri- 
cans (upon  terms  not  made  public),  they  founded  the 
peaceful  hamlet  long  known  as  Bethlehem.  It  was  the 
belief  of  many  witnesses  who  appeared  before  the  Grand 
Jury  that,  had  it  not  been  for  the  man  now  at  the  bar  of 
this  Court  coming  here,  Bethlehem  would  have  remained 
to  this  day  the  quiet  place  it  was  previously  noted  for 
being;  that  the  waving  grain  would  still  be  bending  to  the 
summer  breeze  over  lands  now  occupied  by  streets  and 
lanes  or  covered  with  comfortable  and  costly  homes;  that 
no  noises  would  have  been  heard,  other  than  the  shrill  cry 
of  the  blue  jay  or  the  warning  note  of  the  kingfisher  as  he 
dropped  from  the  swinging  bough  into  the  river  beneath, 
the  cooing  of  the  turtle-dove  in  the  wooded  heights  above, 
or  the  pleading  song  of  the  whippoorwill  as  the  sun  went 
down  behind  the  western  hills.  That  all  this  has  been 
changed  by  the  advent  of  this  alleged  engineer  can  be  proven 
to  the  satisfaction  of  this  Court.  The  rumbling  of  huge 
wheels,  the  throbbing  pulsations  of  mighty  blowing  engines, 
the  shriek  of  steam  whistles,  the  angry  roar  of  burdened 
engines,  the  clanging  noise  of  falling  beams  and  bars,  the 
snorting  puffs  of  the  impetuous  and  bustling  locomotives 
that  ply  to  and  fro  over  the  clanking  rails  and  rattling 
switches,  have  changed  beyond  all  recognition  the  old- 
time  peaceful  hamlet  of  Bethlehem.  Disturbing  and  dis- 
tracting as  all  this  noise  and  confusion  now  is,  the  prisoner 


250  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

has  recently  built  and  set  in  operation  other  and  new  steam 
hammers  of  a  size  and  weight  hitherto  unknown,  whose 
descending  blows  make  all  the  surrounding  country  to 
shiver  and  to  shake;  in  short,  the  evidence  has  been  so 
overwhelming  against  the  prisoner  as  a  disturber  of  the 
peace  and  quiet  that  once  reigned  along  the  banks  of  the 
Lehigh  before  he  came  that  the  Grand  Jury,  mindful  of 
their  oaths,  deemed  it  their  duty  to  the  commonwealth  to 
present  him  to  this  Court,  and  to  demand  that  he  be  tried 
by  a  jury  of  his  peers,  if  such  a  one  can  be  found. 

(Signed)        JOHN  OLDBOY, 

Foreman. 

THE  POEM  WHICH  DR.  R.  W.  RAYMOND,  SENIOR  COUNSEL 
FOR  THE  DEFENSE,  RECITED  IN  COURT,  AND  WHICH, 
NO  DOUBT,  HAD  MUCH  TO  DO  WITH  THE  SENTENCE 
IMPOSED  ON  THE  PRISONER. 

Whom  shall  we  choose  the  flag  to  hold 
In  our  vast  contests,  yet  untold, 
Which  to  the  New  World  adds  the  Old? 

Donner  und  Blitz! 

John  Fritz! 

Leaders  unseen  are  with  us  yet: 
Nor  they  nor  we  the  past  forget, 
The  fate  that  took  them  early,  yet, 

Thank  God,  omits 

John  Fritz! 

When  doubters  doubted  whether  we 
Could  beat  our  brethren  over  sea 
In  rolling-mill  machinery, 

Who  gave  'em  fits? 

John  Fritz! 

Who  stands  before  us  to  combine 
A  level  head,  an  upright  spine, 
With  nowhere  any  crooked  line? 

Most  clearly  it's 

John  Fritz! 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  251 

Whose  heart  is  warmer  than  his  blast? 
Whose  faith  more  steadfast  to  the  last 
Than  any  steel  he  ever  cast? 

That  figure  hits 

John  Fritz! 

Whose  fame  commands  our  homage,  such 
As  bears  of  envy  not  a  touch, 
Because  we  love  the  man  so  much? 

Why,  there  he  sits  — 

John  Fritz! 

THIS  IS  WHAT  THE  ATTORNEY-GENERAL  SAID  IN  HIS  CLOS- 
ING SPEECH,  AND  WHICH  SHOWS  THAT  HE  KNEW  VERY 
LITTLE  ABOUT  THE  DUTIES  OF  THAT  OFFICE. 

May  it  please  the  Court,  while  it  was  my  imperative 
duty  to  present  the  charges  on  which  the  prisoner  has  been 
tried,  I  would  like  to  add  a  few  words  to  what  has  already 
been  so  well  said  by  the  distinguished  attorneys  on  both 
sides.  I  hope  that  whatever  sentence  you  have  in  mind  to 
inflict  upon  the  prisoner  at  the  bar,  it  will  be  tempered  with 
mercy;  that  you  will  bear  in  mind  that  through  all  these 
long  years  he  has  spent,  burdened  by  the  cares,  anxieties, 
and  perplexities  that  ever  surround  the  life  of  an  engineer 
and  the  ironmaster,  he  has  always  had  a  kind  word  for  all 
about  him.  Did  sickness  and  death  come  to  the  homes  of 
any,  he  brought  to  them  words  of  consolation  and  hope; 
did  any  have  heavy  burdens  to  bear,  his  hand  helped  to 
lighten  them;  were  any  despondent,  his  cheering  words  gave 
them  new  life;  and  in  many  to  us  unknown  ways  he  has 
done  what  he  could  to  make  this  world  the  better  for  having 
lived  in  it. 

I  am  somewhat  of  a  privileged  person  to-night,  having 
borne  a  somewhat  confidential  relation  to  all  concerned  in 
arranging  what  has  been  done  here,  and  with  your  Honor's 
permission,  I  would  like  to  impart  a  portion  of  the  inner 
history  connected  with  the  preparations  made  for  this  event. 


252  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

It  is  known  to  a  few  present  that  originally  it  was  intended 
to  have  this  a  small  dinner  given  at  a  hotel,  but  when  the 
announcement  was  made  that  a  dinner  was  to  be  given 
John  Fritz  by  his  friends,  so  numerous  were  the  persons 
who  wished  to  have  a  part  in  it  that  the  hotel  had  to  be 
given  up,  and  even  a  large  hall  was  found  too  small,  and 
this  Opera  House  was  the  only  available  place  to  be  had, 
and,  had  the  dinner  been  postponed  a  week  longer,  we  would 
have  been  obliged  to  build  a  special  auditorium. 

A  few  days  ago,  as  you  all  know,  Pennsylvania  Avenue 
was  filled  with  old  and  battle-scarred  veterans,  who  were 
marching  under  waving  banners  of  red,  white,  and  blue, 
along  that  historic  avenue,  many  of  them  for  the  last  time. 
Among  them  was  the  remnant  of  a  regiment  known  as  the 
Twenty-ninth  Ohio,  and  in  the  ranks  and  beside  the  old 
soldiers,  sorely  wounded  as  many  of  them  were  by  the 
arrows  of  misfortune  and  poverty,  there  walked  a  man 
who  was  once  their  colonel,  and  once  the  President  of  the 
United  States;  and,  in  the  time  to  come,  when  Rutherford 
B.  Hayes  comes  to  be  better  known  and  better  appreciated, 
one  of  the  grandest  tributes  paid  to  his  memory  will  be  the 
story  that  on  that  last  march  of  the  old  veterans  through 
the  capital  of  the  nation,  he  took  his  place  in  the  ranks,  and 
alongside  of  what  Abraham  Lincoln  was  pleased  to  call 
"  the  plain  people."  And  now  for  the  secret  I  have  to  tell 
you.  When  it  was  announced  that  this  anniversary  dinner 
was  to  be  given  in  this  large  Opera  House,  the  prisoner  at 
the  bar,  who  had  asked  nothing  for  himself,  came  to  us  and 
said  that,  "  if  there  was  plenty  of  room,  and  no  one  would 
be  discommoded  in  the  least,  he  would  so  much  like  to  have 
some  of  his  reliable  workmen  who  had  been  with  him  for  so 
many  years,  and  on  whom  he  had  so  much  relied,  to  have  a 
place  at  the  table  and  a  part  in  the  exercises."  I  need  not 
tell  you  how  promptly  he  was  told  that  there  was  a  place 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  253 

at  the  table,  and  a  part  in  all  that  was  to  be  seen  and  heard, 
and  a  warm  welcome  for  all  he  chose  to  bring;  and  here 
to-night  there  are  none  more  glad  and  proud  at  the  honors 
shown  to  their  chief  than  are  John  Fritz's  old  guard;  and 
when  the  story  of  his  life  shall  be  told,  no  page  will  shine 
brighter,  no  incident  will  more  truly  illustrate  his  kindness 
of  heart,  his  modesty,  and  his  thoughtful  regard  for  others, 
than  will  the  one  that  relates  that,  in  the  hour  of  his  greatest 
success,  when  praise  and  honors  came  to  him  from  all  sides, 
he  turned  his  thoughts  backward  to  a  review  of  his  past 
life,  to  a  remembrance  of  the  hours  of  trial  and  difficulties, 
and  in  that  retrospective  view  he  did  not  forget  the  faithful 
men  who  so  long  had  stood  by  him  and  helped  him;  and 
his  happiness  to-night  would  have  been  incomplete  had  they 
not  been  here  to  share  his  pleasure. 

AND  THIS  IS  THE  "  BLUE-PRINT  "  SPEECH  MADE  BY  THE 
PRISONER  IN  HIS  DEFENSE,  AFTER  LISTENING  TO  WHICH 
THE  CHIEF-JUSTICE  AT  ONCE  GAVE  HIM  A  "  TIME  SEN- 
TENCE." 

Judge,  they  say  I  am  not  much  of  an  engineer,  and  at 
times  I  have  had  doubts  about  it  myself,  but  there  is  one 
thing  I  never  had  any  doubt  about,  and  that  is,  that  I  could 
not  make  a  speech  in  public. 

When  I  began  to  try  to  become  an  engineer,  we  used  to 
whittle  out  a  wooden  model  of  anything  we  wanted  to  make, 
or  else  we  would  draw  it  on  a  chalked  board  with  a  square 
and  a  pair  of  compasses;  but  the  times  are  changed,  and 
every  engineer  who  begins  a  job  now  has  to  have  a  blue 
print  before  him  to  work  from,  and  so  for  this  job  I  have 
mine. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances  I  would  have  preferred  to 
remain  silent,  but  on  account  of  the  grand  reception  you 
have  given  me,  and  the  many  hearty  congratulations  that 


254  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

I  have  had  on  the  occurrence  of  my  seventieth  birthday 
from  friends  at  home  and  abroad,  I  cannot  do  so.  I  only 
wish  I  could  fitly  express  to  you  how  highly  I  appreciate 
the  compliment  you  bestow  upon  me  by  such  a  gathering 
of  friends  as  are  here  to-night.  Be  assured  I  shall  ever 
remember  it  as  one  of  the  happiest  events  of  my  life. 

Years  ago,  when  as  a  barefooted  boy  I  followed  the  plow 
from  early  morn  till  late  at  night,  I  little  dreamed  that  the 
time  would  ever  come  when  I  would  be  the  recipient  of  such 
an  honor,  and  would  be  surrounded  by  so  many  kind  and 
thoughtful  friends.  Often  during  my  life,  when  burdened 
with  trials  and  anxieties,  coupled  as  they  sometimes  were 
with  bitter  disappointments,  I  had  almost  concluded  that 
life  was  not  worth  the  struggle  I  was  engaged  in;  and  had 
it  not  been  unmanly  to  do  so,  I  would  have  been  tempted 
to  step  down  and  out;  but,  gathering  new  courage,  I  strug- 
gled on;  and  now,  at  the  end  of  threescore  and  ten  years,  to 
receive  such  a  royal  welcome  from  so  many  warm  friends 
touches  me  beyond  what  words  can  express. 

As  to  my  past  life  and  its  results,  I  can  only  say  I  tried 
to  do  the  best  I  could. 

When  as  a  young  man  I  began  work  in  the  line  in  which 
all  my  after  years  were  spent,  we  had  none  of  the  aids  to 
progress  that  the  young  men  of  to-day  have.  There  were 
no  technical  schools  where  we  could  learn  the  theory  and 
science  of  engineering;  there  were  no  papers  or  books  out  of 
which  we  could  learn  the  practice  and  experience  of  others; 
whatever  a  boy  then  got  in  the  way  of  knowledge  came  to 
him  by  hard  knocks  and  often  bitter  experience;  and  so, 
when  you  are  pleased  to  commend  what  I  may  have  ac- 
complished, I  esteem  it  doubly,  for  you  know  the  school  in 
which  I  was  taught,  and  you  are  men  fully  competent  to  sit 
in  judgment  on  such  matters.  Proud  and  grateful  as  I  am 
for  all  the  kind  things  you  have  been  pleased  to  say  about 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  255 

me  and  of  my  life  work,  it  would  be  ungenerous  in  me  not 
to  say  that  whatever  good  I  have  accomplished  has  been 
largely  due  to  the  faithful  and  able  assistants  that  I  have 
had  the  good  fortune  ever  to  have  had  about  me,  and  also 
to  the  true  and  loyal  workmen  in  the  various  departments, 
to  whom,  by  their  skill,  energy,  and  the  faithful  manner  in 
which  they  have  performed  their  duty,  I  am  much  indebted; 
and  much  as  I  would  like  to  thank  them  individually  for 
their  loyalty  to  me,  and  the  interest  I  represented,  time  will 
not  permit  me  to  do  so. 

As  I  look  backward  over  my  life,  I  am  reminded  how  one 
and  another  of  my  associates  have  passed  over  to  the  other 
side,  and  on  my  lips  and  in  my  heart  are  the  names  of  your 
friends  and  mine  who  I  wish  might  look  on  this  scene 
to-night. 

It  would  be  vain  in  me  to  assume  that  this  large  assem- 
blage of  engineers,  metallurgists,  capitalists,  and  professional 
men  from  all  parts  of  the  country  are  here  wholly  on  account 
of  their  personal  regards  for  me;  so  far  as  it  is  so,  none  can 
be  more  grateful  than  I;  but  I  assume  it  is  in  part  in  honor 
of  the  profession  of  engineering,  which  we  so  dearly  love, 
and  which  in  its  various  branches  has  done  so  much  for  our 
country  and  for  humanity  the  world  over.  Time  will  not 
permit  me  to  enlarge  on  this  point  as  I  might,  but  as 
engineers  we  all  know  how  important  it  is  to  our  success  to 
have  behind  us  the  men  who  not  only  have  the  money,  but 
have  as  well  the  faith  and  confidence  so  necessary  in  push- 
ing forward  great  undertakings.  Such  men  it  has  been  my 
good  fortune  to  be  associated  with,  and  I  want  to  thank 
them,  not  only  for  their  personal  friendship  so  often  ex- 
pressed, but  for  their  confidence  in  me,  which  has  so  much 
helped  me  in  my  labors. 

But,  Judge,  you  have  asked  me  if  I  had  anything  to  say 
why  sentence  should  not  be  pronounced  upon  me.  I  can 


256  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

only  say  that  my  attorneys  have  said  all  and  more  than 
could  rightfully  be  said  in  my  defense,  and  so  I  can  only 
rely  on  the  mercy  of  the  Court.  But,  Judge,  remember, 
at  the  least,  I  was  grateful  and  thankful  for  all  the  kind 
words  that  have  been  spoken  about  me;  that  my  aim  in 
life  has  been  to  always  do  the  best  I  knew  how,  and  make 
no  fuss  about  it 

JOHN  FRITZ. 

The  "  time  sentence  "  was  an  elegant  tubular  chiming 
hall  clock,  on  which  was  inscribed: 

O  TIME  !  DEAL  GENTLY  WITH  OUR  LOVING  FRIENDS, 
JOHN  AND  ELLEN  B.  FRITZ. 

THE  CURTAIN  FALLS. 

The  day  has  come  and  gone,  and  the  night  has  waned; 
the  lights  have  gone  out,  and  the  musicians,  unjointing 
their  horns  and  packing  them  away,  have  vanished  from 
the  scene;  the  flowers  have  faded  and  the  wreaths  have 
shriveled  to  dust;  the  decorations  stowed  away  in  the 
garret  even  now  are  gathering  the  grime  that  ere  long  will 
change  them  beyond  recognition.  All  is  over  save  memory, 
and  even  that  is  being  dimmed  by  more  recent  events.  To 
those  who  have  patiently  followed  what  has  been  herein 
written,  there  will  come,  perchance,  the  thought  that  it 
was  unwise  to  attempt,  as  it  certainly  was  impossible,  to 
revive  in  full  the  pleasure  and  ecstasy  of  this  bygone  event, 
and  possibly  you  are  right  in  so  thinking;  but  take  this 
leaflet,  and  bind  it  to  the  menu  card  you  brought  home 
from  Bethlehem,  and  on  which  is  written  the  autograph 
of  the  friends  that  were  about  you  at  the  table  that  Septem- 
ber night,  and  possibly,  in  after  years,  —  years  that  have 
brought  whiteness  to  your  hair  and  a  yellow  tinge  to  these 
leaves,  —  in  some  idle  moment,  you  may  come  across  both, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  257 

stowed  away  among  your  papers,  and,  glancing  over  what 
is  here  written,  and  over  the  names  attached,  there  may, 
perchance,  for  a  moment,  come  to  you  a  remembrance  of 
the  faces  you  there  saw  and  may  never  see  again,  and  of 
words  spoken  but  well-nigh  forgotten;  and  as  you  lay  it 
down  again,  may  you  say,  as  did  the  smoker  first  mentioned, 
as  long  afterwards  he  threw  into  the  ashes  of  the  grate  the 
remnant  of  his  well-smoked  cigar:  "  Well,  it  was  a  great 
success,  and  I  am  glad  I  was  there." 

THE  GUESTS  INVITED,  MOST  OF  WHOM  WERE  PRESENT. 

Stephen  B.  Elkins,  Secretary  of  War, Washington,  D.  C. 

Benj.  F.  Tracy,  Secretary  of  the  Navy, "  " 

Brig.-Gen.  D.  W.  Flagler,  Chief  of  Ordnance,  War  Dept.,  "  " 

Com.  W.  M.  Folger,  Chief  of  Ordnance,  Navy  Dept.,. . .  "  " 

Chas.  H.  Loring,  Pres.  American  Society  Mechanical 

Engineers,  239  Clermont  Ave., Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Eckley  B.  Coxe,  Coxe  Bros.  &  Co., Drifton,  Pa. 

B.  F.  Jones,  Jones  &  Laughlin,  Ltd., Pittsburg,  Pa. 

John  Chalfant, 

James  Hemphill,  Mackintosh,  Hemphill  &  Co., "        " 

James  McMillan,  . . .- Johnstown,  Pa. 

David  Reeves,  Pres.  Phoenix  Iron  Co., Phcenixville,  Pa. 

Joel  Cook,  Philadelphia  Ledger,   Philadelphia  Pa. 

Percival  Roberts,  Pencoyd  Iron  Works,  261  South  4th  St.,          " 

John  Sellers,  Wm.  Sellers  &  Co.,  Incorp., 

Wm.  B.  Bement,  Bement,  Miles  &  Co., 

Frederick  B.  Miles, 

David  Clark, Hazleton,  Pa. 

John  Kinsey, Easton,  Pa. 

A.  A.  McLeod,  Pres.  and  Gen.  Mgr.  Reading  Railroad 

System, Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Robert  P.  Linderman,  Pres.  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Robert  H.  Sayre,  Vice-Pres.  and  Mgr.  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., . 

Jos.  Wharton,  Director,  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., "  " 

E.  P.  Wilbur,  Director,  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., "  " 

Geo.  H.  Myers,  Director,  Bethlehem  Iron  Co.,   South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Beauveau  Bone,  Director,  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., Philadelphia,  Pa. 

R.  W.  Davenport,  Assist.  Supt.  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., Bethlehem,  Pa. 

W.  H.  Jaques,  Ordnance  Engineer,  Bethlehem  Iron  Co.,  ...         "  " 


258  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

C.  O.  Brunner,  Treas.  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Abraham  S.  Schropp,  Sec.  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., "  " 

Sam  Adams, "  " 

Owen  Leibert, "  " 

Hon.  Chas.  Brodhead, "  " 

C.  M.  Dodson,  Pres.  Morea  Coal  Co., "  " 

Truman  Dodson,  Vice-Pres.  Morea  Coal  Co., "  " 

W.  H.Sayre, 

E.  B.  Ely,  Coxe  Bros.  &  Co., New  York,  N.  Y. 

Chas.  Otis,  Pres.  Otis  Steel  Co.,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Oliver  Williams,  Pres.  Catasauqua  Mfg.  Co., Castasauqua,  Pa. 

Samuel  Thomas,  Pres.  Pioneer  Mining  and  Mfg.  Co., 

C.  B.  Dudley,  Chemist  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  Co., Altoona,  Pa. 

Edward  S.  Moffat,  Gen.  Mgr.  Lacka wanna  Iron  and  Coal  Co., .  .Scranton,  Pa. 

Albert  Lewis,  Bear  Gap,  Pa. 

Henry  M.  Boies,  530  Clay  Ave., Scranton,  Pa. 

John  Thomas,  Gen.  Supt.  Thomas  Iron  Co., Hokendauqua,  Pa. 

Joseph  Morgan,  Chief  Engineer  Cambria  Iron  Works, Johnstown,  Pa. 

Major  L.  S.  Bent,  Pres.  Pennsylvania  Steel  Co., Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Frank  Firmstone, Easton,  Pa. 

B.  F.  Fackenthal,  Durham  Iron  Co., Riegelsville,  Pa. 

C.  F.  Mattes,  Sec.  Vice-Pres.  Lacka  wanna  Iron  and  Coal  Co.,.  .Scranton,  Pa. 

Maunsel  White,  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Sydney  Broadbent,  Supt.  Dickson  Mfg.  Co., Scranton,  Pa. 

Theo.  N.  Ely,  Gen.  Supt.  Motive  Power,  Pennsylvania  R.  R.,  .Altoona,  Pa. 

Robert  Lockhart, Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Clark  Fisher,  Pres.  Fisher  Rail  Joint  Works, Trenton,  N.  J. 

Joseph  D.  Weeks,  Editor  American  Manufacturer, Pittsburg,  Pa. 

E.  G.  Spilsbury,  Gen.  Mgr.  Trenton  Iron  Co., Trenton,  N.  J. 

Henry  Morton,  Pres.  Stevens  Institute  of  Technology, Hoboken,  N.  J. 

R.  H.  Thurston,  Director,  Sibley  College, Ithaca,  N.  Y. 

Robt.  Forsyth,  Chief  Engineer  Illinois  Steel  Co., Chicago,  111. 

R.  W.  Hunt,  Past  Pres.  American  Society  Mechanical  Engineers,        "          " 
Henry  M.  Howe,  Vice-Pres.  American  Institute  Mining  Engi- 
neers,   Boston,  Mass. 

Henry  R.  Towne,  Pres.  Yale  &  Towne  Mfg.  Co., Stamford,  Conn. 

Wm.  F.  Durfee,  Supt.  C.  W.  Hunt  &  Co., West  New  Brighton,  N.  Y. 

Geo.  W.  McNulty,  Chief  Engineer  Broadway  Cable  Rail- 
way,   New  York,  N.  Y. 

Chas.  Kirchhoff,  Editor  The  Iron  Age,  96  Reade  St., "  " 

Geo.  H.  Babcock,  Pres.  Babcock  &  Wilcox  Co.,  30  Cort- 
landtSt., 

S.  W.  Baldwin,  New  York  Agent  Pennsylvania  Steel  Co., .         "  " 

Prof.  James  E.  Denton,  Stevens  Institute  of  Technology,  .  .  .Hoboken,  N.  J. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  259 

J.  H.  Harris,  Vice-Pres.  Worthington  Pumping  Engine  Co.,  .  .  .London,  Eng. 

J.  F.  Holloway,  Pres.  Engineers'  Club,  10  West  2Qth  St., New  York,  N.  Y. 

Prof.  F.  R.  Hutton,  Sec.  American  Society  Mechanical  Engi- 
neers,  

James  F.  Lewis,  Rand  Drill  Co.,  23  Park  Place, "  " 

Chas.  Macdonald,  Union  Bridge  Co.,  247  Fifth  Ave., 

John  Birkinbine,  Pres.  American  Institute  Mining  Engi- 
neers, 26  North  Juniper  St., Philadelphia,  Pa. 

James  Moore,  Bush  Hill  Iron  Works, "  " 

Percival  Roberts,  Jr.,  261  South  4th  St., "  " 

Wm.  Sellers,  Pres.  Win.  Sellers  &  Co.,  Incorp., 

Coleman  Sellers,  Past  Pres.  American  Society  Mechanical 

Engineers,  3301  Baring  St., 

Washington  Jones,  1632  North  isth  St., "  " 

H.  G.  Morris,  Mechanical  Engineer,  Drexel  Building, 

W.  A.  Perry,  Pres.  Henry  R.  Worthington,  86  Liberty  St.,  . .  New  York,  N.  Y. 
C.  C.  Worthington,  Chairman  Henry  R.  Worthington, 

86  Liberty  St., 

T.  F.  Miller,  Sec.  Henry  R.  Worthington,  86  Liberty  St.,  .  .         "  " 

John    Stanton,    Treas.     Atlantic    Copper    Mining    Co., 

70  Wall  St., 

Horace  See,  Engineer  and  Naval  Architect,  i  Broadway, .  .         " 

John  Thomson,  Civil  Engineer,  Temple  Court, "  " 

R.  W.  Raymond,  Sec.  American  Institute  Mining  Engi- 
neers, 13  Burling  Slip, "  " 

Geo.  W.  Maynard,  Consulting  Engineer,  31  Nassau  St.,.  .  .         *' 

James  C.  Bayles,  Engineers'  Club,  10  West  2gth  St., "  " 

John  Bogart,  Civil  Engineer,  71  Broadway, " 

Geo.  W.  Bramwell,  59  Wall  St., 

Frank  S.  Witherbee,  Witherbee,  Sherman  &  Co.,  Port  Henry,  N.  Y. 

W.  H.  Wiley,  Treas.  A.  S.  M.  E.,  53  East  loth  St., New  York,  N.  Y. 

Edward  Cooper,  Cooper,  Hewitt  &  Co.,  17  Burling  Slip, ...         "  " 

Abram  S.  Hewitt,  Cooper,  Hewitt  &  Co.,  17  Burling  Slip,  .  .         "  " 

Chas.  A.  Hague,  Hydraulic  Engineer,  86  Liberty  St., "  " 

E.  D.  Leavitt,  Consulting  Engineer  Calumet  and  Hecla 

Mining  Co., Boston,  Mass. 

S.  B.  Whiting,' Gen.  Mgr.,  n  Ware  St., Cambridge,  Mass. 

C.  J.  H.  Woodbury,  Vice-Pres.  Manufacturers'  Mutual 

Ins.  Co., Lynn,  Mass. 

Oberlin  Smith,  Pres.  Ferracute  Machine  Co., Bridgeton,  N.  J. 

Horace  S.  Smith,  Sec.  Vice-Pres.  Illinois  Steel  Co., Chicago,  111. 

F.  W.  Wood,  Pres.  Maryland  Steel  Co., Sparrows  Point,  Md. 

Capt.  H.  G.  H.  Tarr,  86  Liberty  St., New  York,  N.  Y. 

Walter  Wood,  Mgr.  R.  D.  Wood  &  Co.,   Philadelphia,  Pa. 


260  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

W.  B.  Cogswell,  Gen.  Mgr.  Solvay  Process  Co., Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

A.  C.  Rand,  Rand  Drill  Co.,  23  Park  Place, New  York,  N.  Y. 

John  F.  Wilcox,  Pittsburg  Engineering  Co., Pittsburg,  Pa. 

William  Thaw,  Fifth  Ave.  Hotel, New  York,  N.  Y. 

Geo.  W.  Melville,  Engineer-in-chief ,  United  States  Navy,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Wm.  Metcalf ,  Crescent  Steel  Works, Pittsburg,  Pa. 

Chas.  E.  Emery,  Consulting  Engineer,  915  Bennett  Build- 
ing,   New  York,  N.  Y. 

W.  H.  Bailey,  American  Tube  Works,  20  Gold  St., 

David  Williams,  Publisher,  96  Reade  St.,    

J.  C.  Kafer,  Morgan  Iron  Works,  814  East  9th  St., 

Jos.  Leon  Gobeille,  Gen.  Mgr.  Gobeille  Pattern  Co., Cleveland,  Ohio. 

H.  S.  Haines,  Vice-Pres.  and  Gen.  Mgr.  Plant  Investment 

Co. ,  1 2  West  23rd  St., New  York,  N.  Y. 

W.  H.  Adams,  Virginia  Sulphur  Mining  Co.,  71  Wall  St., .  . 

W.  A.  Sweet,  Pres.  Onondaga  Steel  Works, Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Lieut.  J.  F.  Meigs, South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

E.  C.  Felton,  Supt.  Pennsylvania  Steel  Co., Steelton,  Pa. 

A.  Mitchell,  Supt.  Motive  Power, Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

Capt.  Frank  Hobbs,  Watervliet  Arsenal,  West  Troy,  N.  Y 

Stanley  H.  Goodwin,  Gen.  Supt.  Lehigh  Valley  Division, 

Reading  R.  R., Bethlehem,  Pa. 

R.  H.  Wilbur,  Asst.  to  Gen.  Mgr.  Reading  R.  R.  System, "  " 

W.  A.  Wilbur,  Vice  Pres.  E.  P.  Wilbur  Trust  Co., 

Hon.  J.  Davis  Brodhead,   "  " 

R.  A.  Lamberton,  LL.D., "  " 

G.  B.  Linderman, 

Jos.  Wharton, Jamestown,  R.  I. 

C.  H.  Cramp,  Pres.  Wm.  Cramp  Shipbuilding  Co.,   Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Edwin  S.  Cramp,  cor.  Beach  and  Ball  Sts., 

Stackhouse  Powell,  Pres.  Cambria  Iron  Co., "  " 

Jay  C.  Morse,  Pres.  Illinois  Steel  Co.,  Chicago,  111. 

H.  C.  Frick,  Chairman  Carnegie  Companies, Pittsburg,  Pa. 

E.  M.  Mcllvaine,  Assist,  to  Pres.  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., Bethlehem,  Pa. 

J.  Tatnall  Lea,  4th  and  Chestnut  Sts., Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Alfred  Earnshaw,  203  Walnut  Place,   "  " 

W.  J.  Taylor,  Pres.  Taylor  Iron  and  Steel  Co., High  Bridge,  N.  J. 

A.  L.  Colby,  Chemist, Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Chas.  Hartshorne,  Vice-Pres.  Philadelphia  &  Reading  R.  R., 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

John  M.  Hartman,  1233  North  Front  St., "  " 

John  Hughes,  Delaware  Rolling  Mills, 

Horace  L.  Brooks, Baltimore,  Md. 

Harry  Moore,  James  Moore  &  Son,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  261 

Andrew  Wheeler,  Pres.  Morris  Tasker  &  Co.,   Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Thos.  A  Edison,  Orange,  N.  J. 

W.  L.  Conynghan,   Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

E.  H.  Jones,  Pres.  Vulcan  Iron  Works, "  " 

Chas.  Ziegenfuss,  Gen.  Supt.  Juragua  Mines,  South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Calvin  Pardee,  Drexel  Building,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Hon.  Robt.  E.  Wright,  Pres.  Lehigh  Valley  Car  Co., Allentown,  Pa. 

Hon.  W.  H.  Allison,  Treas.  Allentown  Rolling  Mills, 

J.  K.  Mosser, "  " 

J.  Rogers  Maxwell,  Pres.  Central  R.  R.  of  New  Jersey, New  York,  N.  Y. 

John  Taylor,  Gen.  Traffic  Mgr., Bethlehem,  Pa. 

J.  Raymond  Claghorn,  Pres.,  204  Walnut  St., Philadelphia,  Pa. 

W.  A.  Lathrop,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

A.  N.  Cleaver,  Esq., South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Henry  Coppee,  LL.D., 

W.  L.  Estes,  M.D.,  Director  St.  Luke's  Hospital,   Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Prof.  C.  L.  Doolittle,  Lehigh  University, "  " 

Prof.  Mansfield  Merriman,  Lehigh  University, 

J.  H.  Dudley,  Consulting  Engineer,  Grand  Central  Station,  .New  York,  N.  Y. 
Anthony  Victorin,  Consulting  Engineer,  Ordnance  Dept., .  .  West  Troy,  N.  Y. 

Wm.  Kent,  Consulting  Engineer,  Times  Building, New  York,  N.  Y. 

James  M.  Doherty,  Esq.,  2212  Green  St., Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Jos.  C.  Herr,  Esq.,  224  South  3d  St., 

S.  H.  Chauvenet,  Vice-Pres.  Wellman  Iron  and  Steel  Co., Thurlow,  Pa. 

Richard  Peters,  Jr.,  Wellman  Iron  and  Steel  Co., "  " 

P.  W.  Moen,  Gen.  Mgr.  Washburn  &  Moen, Worcester,  Mass. 

S.  T.  Wellman,  Pres.  Wellman  Iron  and  Steel  Co., Thurlow,  Pa. 

Carleton  W.  Nason,  Pres.  Nason  Mfg.  Co., New  York,  N.  Y. 

Andrew  Fletcher,  Pres.  W.  &  A.  F.  Fletcher  Co.,  157  West 

73d  St., 

Geo.  D.  McCreary,  City  Treasurer,   Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Edwin  Thomas,  Gen.  Mgr.  Pioneer  Iron  and  Mining  Co.,  .  .Catasauqua,  Pa. 

Theo.  D.  Wilson,  Chief  Constructor,  U.  S.  N.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Geo.  E.  Weed,  Pres.  Morgan  Iron  Works, New  York,  N.  Y. 

John  E.  Sweet,  Pres.  Straight  Line  Engineer  Co., Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Alfred  Longsdon,  9  New  Broad  St., London,  Eng. 

C.  P.  Sandberg,  19  Great  George  St.,  .  . .  .Westminster,  London,  S.  W.,  Eng. 

R.  Gladhill,  Mgr.  Sir  Joseph  Whitworth  &  Co., Manchester,  Eng. 

H.  S.  Carrington,  Sec.  Sir  Joseph  Whitworth  &  Co., " 

Sir  I.  Lowthian  Bell, Middlesborough,  Eng. 

E.  Windsor  Richards, 

E.  P.  Martin, Dowlais,  Glamorgan,  Wales. 

James  Dredge,  36  Bedford  St.,  Strand,  London,  Eng. 

J.  Hoecher,  Chief  Engineer,  Fred.  Krupp, Essen-on-Ruhr,  Germany. 


262  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

Prof.  Herman  Wedding,  Berlin,  Germany. 

I.  Kraft,  Chief  Engineer  Cockerill  Iron  Works, Seraing,  Belgium. 

Adolphe  Grainer,  Director  Cockerill  Iron  Works, "  " 

Jos.  C.  Platt,  Consulting  Engineer Waterford,  N.  Y. 

Gen.  Ario  Pardee, Hazleton,  Pa. 

James  M.  Swank,  Sec.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Gen.  Doster, Bethlehem,  Pa. 

J.  A.  Sweigard,  Assist.  Gen.  Mgr.  Reading  R.  R., Philadelphia,  Pa. 

James  A.  Burden, Woodside,  Troy,  N.  Y. 

Prof.  Thos.  Egleston,  School  of  Mines,  Columbia  College,.. New  York,  N.  Y. 

Capt.  James  Jenkins, Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Sir  Henry  Bessemer,  Denmark  Hall, Surrey,  Eng. 

Percy  C.  Gilhurst,  Finchley,  New  Road,  Hampstead, London,  Eng. 

Sir  James  Kitson,  Monkbridge  Iron  Works, Leeds,  Eng. 

Wm.  Keyser, Baltimore,  Md. 

Richard  Akerman,  Royal  School  of  Mines, Stockholm,  Sweden. 

John  Gjeirs,  Middlesbro-on-Tees,  Eng. 

Hugh  Bell, 

P.  Boward,  care  Schneider,  Creusot,  France. 

J.  Barba,  care  Schneider, "  " 

Wm.  C.  Whitney,  ex-Secretary  U.  S.  Navy, New  York,  N.  Y. 

Gen.  Joseph  R.  Hawley,  U.  S.  Senator, Hartford,  Conn. 

F.  A.  Pratt,  Pres.  Pratt  &  Whitney  Co., .' 

L.  Hernsheim,  29  Broadway, New  York,  N.  Y. 

Chas.  H.  Morgan,  Engineer  and  Contractor,  25  Lincoln  St., .  Worcester,  Mass. 

Geo.  Pierce,  Supervisor,  Fall  River  Line, Newport,  R.  I. 

E.  B.  Leisenring, Mauch  Chunk,  Pa. 

W.  R.  Tucker,  Sec.  Board  of  Trade,  Drexel  Building, Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Judge  Henry  Green, Easton,  Pa. 

Edmund  C.  Pechin,    Roanoke,  Va. 

Senator  Wm.  E.  Chandler, Waterloo,  N.  H. 

Archibald  Johnston, Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Mathew  Addy, Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Joseph  Johnston, Bethlehem,  Pa. 

George  Chandler, 

Harry  Leibert,  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

J.  S.  Jeans,  Victoria  Mansions,   London,  Eng. 

Alexander  Hamilton, Johnstown,  Pa. 

Lieut.  Kossuth  Niles,  Ordnance  Office,  U.  S.  N., Washington,  D.  C. 

Captain  O'Neal,  Navy  Dept.,   

Lieut.  Karl  Rahror, Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Capt.  Ira  McNutt 

Senator  John  L.  Morgan,   Washington,  D.  C. 

Senator  H.  M.  Teller,  .  


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  263 

Capt.  W.  T.  Sampson,  Navy  Yard, Washington,  D.  C. 

Irving  M.  Scott,  Union  Iron  Works, San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Clarence  S.  Bement, Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Marriott  Smyth,   Latrobe,  Pa. 

Andrew  Carnegie,  5  West  sist  St.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

C.  P.  Goss,  Scoville  Mfg.  Co., Waterbury,  Conn. 

Senator  W.  B.  Allison, Washington,  D.  C. 

Congressman  Chas.  A.  Boutelle,    "  " 

Dr.  W.  H.  Chandler,  Lehigh  University, South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

George  Brooke, Birdsboro,  Pa. 

A.  S.  Patterson,  330  Walnut  St., Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Chas.  L.  Bailey,  

A.  J.  Dull, Harrisburg,  Pa. 

G.  C.  Wilkins,  Gen.  Mgr.  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  Co., Baltimore,  Md. 

J.  M.  Gledhill,  Sir  Joseph  Whitworth  Co., Manchester,  Eng. 

James  Fuller, Catasauqua,  Pa. 

Capt.  Montgomery  Sicard,  Navy  Yard,  U.  S.  S.  Miantono- 

moh, Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

C.  Y.  Wheeler,  Stirling  Steel  Co., Pittsburg,  Pa. 

G.  E.  Taintor, New  York,  N.  Y. 

Chas.  A.  Hewitt, Trenton,  N.  J. 

Henry  McCormick, Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Arthur  Brock, Lebanon,  Pa. 

R.  H.  Sayre,  Jr., South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

R.  E.  Jennings, West  Bergen,  N.  J. 

David  H.  Thomas, Hokendauqua,  Pa. 

Samuel  R.  Thomas, "  " 

Stevenson  Taylor,  Vice-Pres.  North  River  Iron  Works, Hoboken,  N.  J. 

Wm.  Fletcher,  North  River  Iron  Works, 

Chas.  Wales,  Engineers'  Club,  10  West  2gth  St., New  York,  N.  Y. 

A.  J.  Haws, Johnstown,  Pa. 

R.  B.  Keyser, Baltimore,  Md. 

Frank  L.  Neale,  International  Navigation  Co.,  305  Wal- 
nut St., Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Prof.  J.  Harvard  Biles,  care  Chas.  H.  Camp, 

Owen  J.  Conley,  Ogden  Mine, Ogden,  N.  J. 

Joseph  Stokes, Trenton,  N.  J. 

Wm.  H.  Morris,  Pottstown  Iron  Co., Pottstown,  Pa. 

E.  H.  Austin, Philadelphia,  Pa. 

David  Townsend, "  " 

Wm.  B.  Schiller,  Monongahela  Furnace  Co., Pittsburg,  Pa. 

C.  W.  Roepper,  Solid  Steel  Co., Alliance,  Ohio. 

Albert  Brodhead, Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Dr.  R.  I.  Bailey,  Normandie  Hotel, New  York,  N.  Y. 


264  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

Horace  G.  Lash,  Carbon  Iron  Co., Pittsburg^Pa. 

Chas.  G.  Roebling,  J.  Roebling's  Sons  Co., Trenton,  N.  J. 

James  Riley, Glasgow,  Scotland. 

Benjamin  Riegel, Riegelsville,  N.  J. 

Geo.  T.  Barnes, Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Rev.  P.  McEnroe, Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Edwin  Menner, "  " 

Tinsley  Jeter,  South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

W.  T.  Walters, Baltimore,  Md. 

Josiah  Monrt>e,  208  South  4th  St.,    Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Robert  F.  Kennedy,  216  South  4th  St.,   "  " 

F.  G.  Gorham,  N.  Y.  Sales  Agent  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., New  York,  N.  Y. 

Col.  H.  G.  Prout,  73  Broadway, 

William  Canam, Bethlehem,  Pa. 

William  Stubblebine, 

Patrick  Bricdy, South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Ensign  F.  R.  Brainard, Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Capt.  H.  L.  Jewett, 

Lieut.  Com.  Wm.  Swift,  U.  S.  N., 

Lieut.  S.  E.  Stuart, South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Rev.  Gilbert  H.  Sterling, "r,<     ;     " 

Isaac  H.  Chandler, Johnstown,  Pa. 

George  Crocker,  32  Cliff  St., New  York,  N.  Y. 

Chas.  Parrish, Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

Wm.  Chapman,  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Capt.  R.  A.  Abbott, 

Price  Wetherill, South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

E.  O.  C.  Acker,   Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Merritt  Halliday, South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

James  E.  Tatnall, "  " 

A.  M.  Mattice,  2  Central  Square, Cambridgeport,  Mass. 

Chas.  H.  Manning,  Supt.  Amoskeag  Mfg.  Co., Manchester,  N.  H. 

W.  R.  Mcllvain, Reading,  Pa. 

Henry  S.  Drinker,  227  South  4th  St., Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Prof.  Jos.  F.  Klein, Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Harry  Jones, " 

Clemens  Jones, Hokendauqua,'  Pa. 

Frank  Johnston, South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Henry  Smith,  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., "  " 

William  Strawn,         "  "     "  " 

Harry  Hart,  "  "     

Chas.  Anthony,         "  "     

Henry  Trumbower,    "  "     

J.  B.  Archer,  "  "     


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  265 

John  Horn,  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Edward  Murphy,       "  "     

JohnOpp,  "  "     

Hartley  Wolle,  "  "     

Michael  Bitler,          "  "     

Wilson  Weaver,         "  "     

George  Sherer,  "  "     

Ed.  Welden,  "  "     

JohnLeibert,  "  "     

Henry  Stahlneeker,    "  "     

Horatio  Yeager,         "  "     "  " 

Isaac  Deremer,          "  "     

George  Jenkins,          "  "     

Jos.  Brodhead,  "  "     

Martin  Hackman,      "  "     

C.  W.  Buchhotz,  21  Cortlandt  St., New  York,  N.  Y. 

Joseph  Hartshorn,   Pottstown,  Pa. 

Chas.  H.  Wellman,  Thurlow,  Pa. 

James  Christie, Pencoyd  and  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

B.  W.  Grist,  113  West  38th  St., New  York,  N.  Y. 

W.  L.  Elkins,  Jr., 

J.  T.  Knight,  Sec.  and  Treas.  Thomas  Iron  Co., Easton,  Pa. 

R.  Morris  Gummere, South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Geo.  F.  Kunz,  Tiffany  &  Co.,  n  Union  Square, New  York,  N.  Y. 

Geo.  B.  Roberts,  Pres.  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  Co., Philadelphia,  Pa. 

James  Walters,  Bethlehem  Iron  Co., South  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

C.  Miner  Dodson, Bethlehem,  Pa. 

James  Waiters, " 


THE  JOHN  FRITZ  BANQUET  TO  CELEBRATE  THE  FOUNDA- 
TION OF  THE  JOHN  FRITZ  GOLD  MEDAL,  WALDORF-AS- 
TORIA, NEW  YORK,  OCTOBER  31,  1902.* 

THE  JOHN  FRITZ  MEDAL. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1902,  at  the  call  of  Mr.  S.  T.  Well- 
man,  of  Cleveland,  a  number  of  prominent  engineers  and 
manufacturers  met  in  New  York  to  discuss  the  question  of 
a  suitable  celebration  of  Mr.  Fritz's  eightieth  birthday,  the 
outcome  of  these  meetings  being  the  appointment  of  the 
following  committee,  which  decided  to  invite  subscriptions 
to  a  John  Fritz  gold-medal  fund: 

President,  S.  T.  Wellman;  treasurer,  John  Thomson;  secretary,  C.  Kirch- 
hoff;  S.  W.  Baldwin,  R.  ;W.  Hunt,  F.  R.  Hutton,  C.  Warren  Hunt, 
J.  C.  Kafer,  T.  C.  Martin,  jE.  E.  [Olcott,  R.  W.  Pope,  H.  G.  Prout, 
E.  G.  Spilsbury,  Jesse  M.  Smith,  Ambrose  Swasey,  Oliver  Williams, 
Calvin  W.  Rice,  Wm.  Maver,  Jr. 

The  organization  was  effected  by  the  appointment  of  four 
sub-committees,  as  follows: 

Medal  Committee.  —  C.  Warren  Hunt,  chairman;  F.  R.  Hutton,  R.  W.  Pope, 

C.  Kirchhoff. 
Finance  Committee.  —  John  Thomson,  chairman;  Ambrose  Swasey,  Jesse  M. 

Smith,  E.  E.  Olcott. 
Dinner  Committee.  —  T.  C.  Martin,  chairman;  J.  C.  Kafer,  H.  G.  Prout, 

E.  G.  Spilsbury. 
Invitation  Committee.  —  S.  W.  Baldwin,  chairman;  R.  W.  Hunt,   Oliver 

Williams. 

The  task  of  designing  a  gold  medal  and  cutting  the  dies 
was  intrusted  to  Victor  D.  Brenner,  of  New  York  City. 
There  was  contributed  by  about  500  persons  a  sum  which, 

*  Reprint  of  a  pamphlet  issued  at  the  time  by  the  subscribers  to  the 
banquet. 

266 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 


267 


after  providing  for  the  artist's  fees  and  other  expenditures, 
left  a  balance  of  about  $4,000  as  a  permanent  fund,  the 
interest  on  which  is  adequate  for  the  annual  purchase  of 
the  gold  medal.  A  brief  memorandum  by  the  treasurer 
will  be  found  in  this  pamphlet. 

The  general  scope  of  the  memorial  is  indicated  by  the 
following  rules  adopted  for  the  award  of  the  medal : 


FIG.  17.  —  THE  JOHN  FRITZ  MEDAL. 


PROPOSED  RULES  FOR  THE  AWARD    OF    THE    JOHN  FRITZ 
MEDAL. 

1.  —  The  John  Fritz  Medal  was  established  by  the  pro- 
fessional associates  and  friends  of  John  Fritz  of  Bethlehem, 
Pa.,  U.  S.  A.,  August  21,  1902,  his  eightieth  birthday,  to 
perpetuate  the  memory  of  his  achievements  in  industrial 
progress. 

2.  —  The  medal  shall  be  awarded  for  notable  scientific  or 
industrial  achievement.     There  shall  be  no  restriction  on 
account  of  nationality  or  sex. 

3.  —  The  medal  shall  be  of  gold  and  shall  be  accompanied 
by  an  engraved  certificate,  which  shall  recite  the  origin  of 
the  medal  and  the  specific  achievement  for  which  the  award 


268  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

is  made.     Such  certificate  shall  be  signed  by  the  chairman 
and  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Award. 

4.  —  The   medal   may   be   awarded   annually,   but   not 
oftener. 

5.  —  No  award  of  the  medal  shall  be  made  to  anyone 
whose  eligibility  to  the  distinction  has  not  been  under 
consideration  by  the  Board  of  Award  for  at  least  one  year. 

6.  —  Awards  shall  be  made  by  a  board  of  sixteen,  ap- 
pointed or  chosen  in  equal  numbers  from  the  membership 
of  the  four  national  societies,   the  American   Society  of 
Civil  Engineers;   the  American  Institute  of  Mining  En- 
gineers;  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers, 
and  the  American  Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers.     The 
governing  bodies  of  each  of  these  societies  shall  be  requested 
to  appoint  from  its  membership  one  representative  who 
shall  hold  office  for  one  year,  one  for  two  years,  one  for 
three  years,  and  one  for  four  years;  and  each  succeeding 
year  to  appoint  one  member  to  serve  for  four  years. 

7.  —  In  case  of  failure  of  any  of  the  national  societies  to 
make  the  original  appointments  as  requested,  the  selection 
of  representatives  from  its  members  shall  be  made  by  those 
appointed  from  the  other  societies,  and  should  any  future 
vacancy  occur  by  reason  of  the  failure  of  any  of  the  said 
societies  to  act,  or  otherwise,  such  vacancy  shall  be  filled 
by  the  Board  of  Award  from  the  membership  of  the  society 
so  failing. 

8.  —  Should  one  or  more  of  the  four  national  societies  go 
out  of  existence,  its  representation  on  the  board  shall  cease 
and  determine,  and  future  awards  shall  be  made  by  the 
representatives  of  the  remaining  societies. 

All  of  the  four  societies  have  selected  representatives  and 
the  council  of  award  has  now  been  duly  constituted  in 
accordance  with  the  above  terms. 

The  preliminaries  for  the  medal  having  been  duly  settled, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  269 

the  successful  foundation  of  the  fund  was  signalized  by  a 
banquet  at  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  October  31,  1902,  a  report 
of  which  is  given  in  the  following  pages. 

The  models  of  iron  and  steel  making  processes  that 
adorned  the  banquet  room  were  loaned  by  the  Stevens  In- 
stitute of  Technology.  The  Elbright  Company  of  America, 
Russell  [Spaulding,  manager,  made  and  loaned  to  the  Dinner 
Committee  without  charge,  a  beautiful  sign  in  frosted  incan- 
descent lamps,  several  feet  in  length,  reading,  "  John  Fritz, 
1822-1902,"  which  was  hung  at  the  back  of  the  speakers' 
table,  and  which  was  illuminated  as  soon  as  the  guest  of  the 
evening  took  his  place  beneath  it.  Facilities  for  committee 
meetings,  etc.,  were  furnished  courteously  by  the  American 
Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers  and  by  the  Engineers' 
Club.  No  small  share  of  the  success  of  the  banquet  was 
due  to  the  kindly  help  and  suggestions  of  "  Oscar,"  of  the 
Waldorf-Astoria,  who  prepared  specially  a  number  of 
trophies  in  candy  to  be  borne  around  the  hall  in  procession, 
illustrative  of  the  triumphs  of  American  steel  production. 
Before  the  banquet  began,  the  Dinner  Committee  sent  to 
Mrs.  John  Fritz,  who  occupied  with  friends  the  central 
box  in  the  balcony,  a  handsome  birthday  bouquet.  The 
balcony  was  occupied  by  over  150  ladies,  to  whom  light 
refreshments  were  served  while  the  dinner  was  in  progress 
below,  and  whose  presence  in  full  evening  dress  added 
greatly  to  the  brilliancy  of  a  memorable  occasion. 

BRIEF  FINANCIAL  STATEMENT  OF  THE  JOHN  FRITZ  MEDAL  FUND, 
AS  OF  JANUARY  23,  1903. 

Total  receipts,  including  accrued  interest $6,039.32 

Total  disbursements 1,930.00 

Balance  on  hand $4,109.32 

Now  deposited  in  the  Mercantile  Trust  Company,  drawing 
interest  at  the  yearly  rate  of  3  per  cent. 

NOTE.  — The  cost  of  designing  and  constructing  the  medal,  the  dies,  and 
the  album  was  $1,700;  the  incidental  expenses,  such  as  circulars,  stationery 


270  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

and  postage,  making  up  the  remainder,  $230.  It  is  practically  certain  that 
the  net  amount  available  for  fixed  investment  will  not  be  less  than,  say, 
$3,700;  which  will  be  ample  to  carry  out  the  purpose  of  the  founders  in  an 
appropriate  and  satisfactory  manner. 

While  the  subscriptions  were  purposely  limited  to  the  small  sum  of  $10, 
in  order  to  give  the  large  circle  of  Mr.  Fritz's  friends  and  admirers  an  oppor- 
tunity to  become  identified  with  the  foundation  of  the  medal,  the  Committee 
felt  justified  in  yielding  to  the  insistence  of  Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie,  who  con- 
tributed $1,000,  and  Mr.  A.  J.  Moxham,  who  contributed  $100. 

SPEECHES  AT  THE  DINNER  TO  JOHN  FRITZ,  AT  THE  WAL- 
DORF-ASTORIA   OCTOBER    31,    1902. 

SALUTATORY. 

THE  TOASTMASTER  (Col.  Henry  G.  Prout) :  —  Gentlemen: 
This  afternoon  a  lady  came  into  this  room  to  look  at  the 
decorations  and  she  looked  at  this  design  and  she  read  it, 
"  John  Fritz,  1822-1902,"  and  she  said,  "  What  a  shame  to 
drag  an  old  man  like  that  out  of  his  bed!"  (Laughter.) 
Obviously,  she  had  not  seen  the  "  old  man."  We  are  met 
here  for  two  principal  purposes  —  first,  to  celebrate  the 
eightieth  birthday  of  our  friend,  John  Fritz.  (Applause.) 
And  second,  to  celebrate  the  successful  founding  of  the 
John  Fritz  Medal.  (Applause.)  If  I  might  venture  to 
follow  for  a  moment  the  thought  of  the  immortal  Gettys- 
burg speech,  I  should  say  that  Mr.  Fritz  himself  had  an- 
ticipated this  celebration  and  made  it  superfluous  by  his 
great  and  lasting  gifts  to  the  happiness  and  prosperity  of 
mankind  and  by  his  simple  and  dignified  and  sincere  life. 
(Applause.)  It  is  little  that  we  can  add  to  the  estimation 
in  which  he  is  held  by  those  who  have  known  him  long  and 
well.  It  is  little  that  we  can  add  to  the  glory  of  his  name 
throughout  the  civilized  world.  It  is  little  that  we  can  add 
to  the  endurance  of  that  monument  which  he  has  built  for 
himself.  But  we  can  find  pleasure  for  ourselves  in  express- 
ing to  him  here  in  this  public  way  our  admiration  and  our 
affection.  We  can  find  inspiration  and  the  glow  of  en- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  271 

thusiasm  for  own  lives  in  listening  to  the  words  of  those 
who  know  his  worth  and  his  character  and  are  qualified  to 
appreciate  them.  These,  I  take  it,  are  the  real  reasons 
why  we  are  here. 

The  General  Committee  has  directed  me  to  say  to  you  a 
few  words  about  the  John  Fritz  Medal,  its  origin,  its  purpose, 
and  its  present  state.  The  story  is  short.  Last  spring,  a 
few  friends  of  John  Fritz  met  to  organize  a  celebration  of 
his  eightieth  birthday,  and  then  the  further  thought  came 
that  they  would  establish  a  memorial  in  order  that  future 
generations  might  know  that  the  men  who  had  lived  in  the 
time  of  John  Fritz  had  had  the  sense  to  appreciate  his 
worth.  (Applause.)  It  was  natural  that  that  memorial 
should  take  the  form  of  a  medal,  and  then  the  committee 
decided  that  this  medal  should  be  given  to  anyone  in  the 
world  who  might  have  proved  his  title  to  it  by  achievements 
in  research  or  in  applied  science,  and  then  it  was  decided 
that  this  medal  should  be  given  by  a  committee  of  sixteen 
to  be  chosen  from  the  four  great  national  engineering 
societies  of  our  country.  The  General  Committee  believe 
that  this  medal,  considering  its  scope,  considering  the 
method  of  award,  will  be  even  a  more  distinguished  honor 
than  the  Bessemer  Medal  which  Mr.  Fritz  himself  is  proud 
to  hold.  (Applause.)  It  was  decided  that  the  fund  for  the 
medal  should  be  raised  by  a  subscription,  and  that  each 
individual  subscription  should  be  strictly  limited  to  a  small 
sum  in  order  that  many  men  might  share  in  the  honor  of 
contributing  to  the  fund.  The  Committee  believes  that 
the  John  Fritz  Medal  thus  established  will  be,  like  the  olive 
wreath  of  the  Olympian  games,  in  itself  a  little  thing  of 
trifling  cost,  but  representing  such  distinguished  achieve- 
ment that  it  will  always  be  amongst  the  most  precious 
trophies  of  the  man  or  the  woman  who  is  successful  in 
getting  it.  (Applause.)  The  medal  is  now  secure.  The 


272  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

fund  is  established.  The  design  has  been  made.  The  die 
is  made,  and  the  album  containing  the  signatures  of  the 
subscribers  to  the  fund  will  be  presented  now  to  Mr.  Fritz, 
as  will  the  master  cast  from  the  artist's  model,  by  Mr.  John 
Thomson,  to  whom,  more  than  any  other  one  man,  we  are 
indebted  for  the  idea  of  this  medal.  Mr.  John  Thomson. 
(Applause.) 

PRESENTATION  OF  THE  MEDAL  — JOHN  THOMSON,  C.E. 

MR.  THOMSON:  —  We  have  thought,  Mr.  Fritz,  that  it 
would  please  you  to  have  a  permanent  record  in  respect  to 
the  founding  of  the  medal  which  is  to  bear  your  name.  I 
have  here  an  album.  It  is  entitled,  "  The  John  Fritz 
Medal."  It  is  dedicated  to  "  John  Fritz,  Engineer,  One 
of  the  Principal  Founders  of  America's  Iron  and  Steel 
Industry."  It  contains  a  photograph  of  yourself,  Mr. 
Fritz,  also  photographs  of  the  obverse  and  reverse  of  the 
medal,  under  which  is  inscribed  "  To  Perpetuate  the 
Memory  of  John  Fritz  and  His  Achievements  in  Industrial 
Progress."  In  addition  to  the  historical  data  and  the  rules 
for  the  award  of  the  medal,  it  also  contains  the  names  and 
addresses  of  the  founders  and  their  autographs,  some  four 
hundred  and  eighty-four  in  all. 

In  the  name  of  and  in  behalf  of  the  founders  of  the  John 
Fritz  Medal,  I  have  the  great  pleasure  to  ask  you  to  accept 
this  album,  Mr.  Fritz,  as  a  slight  testimonial  of  our  admira- 
tion and  regard,  and  we  would  have  you  believe  that  we 
desire  no  greater  honor  than  to  be  known  as  the  friends  of 
John  Fritz,  of  Bethlehem.  (Applause.) 

We  have  also  thought,  Mr.  Fritz,  that  it  would  add  to 
your  pleasure  to  announce,  especially  on  this  occasion,  the 
name  of  the  recipient  of  the  first  medal.  The  rules  adopted 
relative  thereto  seem  to  indicate  at  this  time  one  name,  in 
that  the  stipulation  is  expressly  set  forth  that  the  award 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  273 

shall  be  made  to  commemorate  the  most  notable  scientific 
and  industrial  achievement.  These  plaster  plaques  were 
reproduced  from  the  original  medal  made  by  the  artist, 
and  from  these  one  set  of  castings  in  bronze  has  been  made, 


FIG.  1 8.  —  EXTERIOR  OF  ALBUM. 

but  no  more  shall  ever  be  made  therefrom,  for  I  shall  now 
destroy  these  original  master  patterns.  (Applause.)  (Mr. 
Thomson  here  smashed  the  plaster  plaques.) 

Mr.  "Fritz,  I  am  duly  authorized  and  directed  by  the 
founders  of  the  John  Fritz  Medal  to  make  the  following 


274  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

official  announcement  of  the  award.  We  ask  that  you, 
John  Fritz,  accept  these  bronze  plaques,  the  only  ones  of 
the  kind  that  will  ever  be  presented  as  an  award,  made  by 
and  coming  directly  from  the  founders,  our  unanimous  find- 
ing being  that  of  all  the  Captains  of  Industry  this  medal 
may  most  worthily  be  awarded  to  you.  (Applause.) 
And  we  beg  to  assure  you  of  our  abiding  faith  that  the 
crowning  reward  of  your  splendid  achievements  and  char- 
acter will  be  the  perpetuation  of  your  name,  than  which 
there  can  be  no  higher  ideal  for  the  engineering  and  in- 
dustrial captains  of  the  future.  (Applause.) 

Now,  Mr.  Fritz,  for  each  and  all  of  the  founders,  I  wish 
you  many  happy  years  and  growing  honors,  and  the  love 
of  friends.  (Cheers.) 

The  guests,  on  the  proposal  of  Colonel  Prout,  here  drank 
to  the  health  of  John  Fritz.  There  were  loud  cheers  and 
long  calls  for  "  Fritz." 

SPEECH  OF  MR.  JOHN  FRITZ. 

Mr.  President,  Dear  Friends:  I  do  not  know  what  to  say 
in  response  to  this  reception  that  I  am  given  here  to-night. 
It  is  utterly  beyond  my  power  to  express  the  things  that 
are  in  my  mind.  The  only  thing  that  I  can  say  is  that  I 
accept  this  in  the  name  of  the  four  great  engineering 
societies.  I  am  not  going  to  detain  you  long,  as  you  can  see. 

Standing  here,  my  mind  is  carried  back  to  the  days  of  my 
youth,  when  I  worked  on  a  farm,  from  sunrise  to  sunset, 
barefooted.  Then  my  wildest  imagination  could  not  have 
foreseen  this  honor. 

I  appreciate  this  greeting,  and  accept  it  as  a  token  of  your 
esteem;  and  am  truly  sensible  of  the  great  honor  you  have 
thus  conferred  upon  me,  which  gives  rise  to  sincere  joy  in  my 
heart,  that  takes  precedence  of  all  other  emotions,  and  I  can 
only  say  that  I  thank  you  from  the  depths  of  my  heart. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 


275 


But  what  have  I  done  to  earn  this  reception !  What  little 
I  have  done  has  been  much  overrated,  and  I  am  the  re- 
cipient of  honor  beyond  what  I  deserve ;  but  I  hope  that  my 
kind  friends  will  continue  to  overlook  my  shortcomings,  as 
I  have  ever  tried  to  do  my  best. 


FIG.  19.  —  FRONTISPIECE  or  ALBUM. 


I  do  not  now  forget  the  laboring  man,  and  especially  the 
able,  brave,  and  noble  men  who  loyally  stood  by  me  in  times 
of  the  severest  trials  that  were  encountered  during  my  long 
connection  with  the  iron  and  steel  industries,  and  who  were 
ever  ready  to  face  any  hardship  or  danger  that  would  in 
any  way  tend  to  prevent  success.  To  these  kind  and  loyal 
men  much  credit  is  due  for  such  success  as  I  have  attained. 


276  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

But,  alas,  the  majority  of  them  have  gone,  the  grave  has 
closed  over  them,  but  they  are  not  forgotten,  and  they  will 
ever  have  a  green  spot  in  my  memory. 

It  was  my  misfortune  to  start  in  the  world  with  a  meager 
education.  I  was  born  of  exemplary  parents;  my  father 
being  a  man  of  high  moral  character,  he  fully  impressed 
upon  my  mind  the  importance  of  energy,  economy,  and 
absolute  integrity.  My  mother  was  a  true,  Christian 
woman,  and  early  taught  me  to  read  and  revere  the  Holy 
Bible  and  to  trust  in  the  Supreme  Being,  and  that  to  respect 
and  obey  His  laws  was  a  duty  which  mankind  should  not 
disregard. 

At  this  distant  day,  to  my  mind,  the  moral  and  religious 
training  received  from  my  parents,  and  their  noble  example, 
was  the  most  important  training  I  could  possibly  have 
received ;  and  I  have  ever  thought  the  highest  honor  I  could 
pay  to  their  memory  was  to  endeavor  to  follow  their  noble 
example.  In  after  years,  when  overburdened  with  grave 
responsibilities  which  were  ever  recurring  and  had  to  be 
met,  it  was  then  I  sorely  felt  the  want  of  a  better  education; 
but  on  reflection,  I  knew  my  parents  had  done  the  best  they 
could,  and  I  was  content. 

It  has  always  been  my  good  fortune  to  be  blest  with 
many  kind  and  loving  friends,  who  have  stood  by  me  in  the 
darkest  days  and  were  ever  ready  to  give  assistance  by  their 
wise  and  sympathetic  counsel. 

There  are  times  when  it  is  an  agreeable  servitude  to  be 
under  obligation  to  those  whom  you  esteem,  and  I  am 
deeply  sensible  of  the  honor  conferred  upon  me  on  this 
occasion,  and  greatly  regret  that  I  have  not  the  command 
of  language  to  make  a  fitting  acknowledgment  to  my  kind 
friends,  who  have  provided  for  the  "  Fritz  Medal  "  and  ar- 
ranged this  splendid  birthday  feast,  and  to  you  all  for  your 
presence  here  to-night. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  277 

But  no  words  of  mine  can  ever  express  the  full  measure  of 
gratitude  that  I  so  deeply  feel  towards  you  all.  And  here, 
my  dear  friends,  I  beg  to  assure  you  that  the  uniformly  kind 
and  thoughtful  attention  that  you  have  always  shown  me 
will  be  held  in  grateful  remembrance. 

May  God,  in  His  infinite  mercy,  vouchsafe  to  you  all  long, 
useful,  and  happy  lives,  surrounded  by  kind  and  loving 
friends,  is  my  most  fervent  desire. 

Three  cheers  for  John  Fritz  were  called  for  by  Mr.  Martin 
and  given,  and  the  diners  sang,  "  For  he's  a  jolly  good 
fellow." 

THE  TOASTMASTER:  —  Strange  thing,  isn't  it,  that  John 
Fritz  has  so  many  kind  and  loving  friends? 

The  next  sentiment  is  "  The  Fathers  of  the  Art."  For  at 
least  seven  hundred  years  the  Anglo-Saxon  people  have  been 
carrying  on  their  struggle  for  liberty  regulated  by  law,  and 
in  that  struggle  we,  on  this  side  of  the  water,  have  taken 
the  characteristic  part.  We  have  gone  out  and  fought  our 
stubborn  wars  and  then  we  have  gone  home  and  sat  down 
and  carried  on  the  still  more  stubborn  conflict  with  ignorance 
and  folly  and  ignoble  ambition  and  rapacity.  The  gentle- 
man who  was  to  have  spoken  for  the  Fathers  of  the  Art,  in 
the  greatest  of  our  wars,  contributed  of  his  money,  of  his 
wisdom  and  his  energy,  and  since  that  war  he  has  continued 
to  give  the  same  devotion  to  the  long  civil  struggle  that  has 
been  going  on,  and  all  of  that  time  he  has  walked  in  parallel 
lines  with  Mr.  Fritz,  for  he  too  is  an  ironmaster.  That  is 
Abram  S.  Hewitt.  (Applause.)  Lowell  has  said  that  the 
chief  duty  of  a  nation  is  to  produce  great  men,  and  I  am 
sure  in  Fritz  and  Hewitt  we  can  present  fine  specimens  of 
the  product  of  our  nation.  (Applause.)  Unfortunately, 
Mr.  Hewitt  is  too  delicate  to  be  here  to-night,  but  he  has 
sent  a  letter  which  will  now  be  read  by  Mr.  Martin,  the 
chairman  of  the  Dinner  Committee.  (Applause.) 


278  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

Mr.  Martin,  who  was  received  with  cheers,  said:  "  This 
letter  from  the  Honorable  Abram  S.  Hewitt  is  addressed 
to  his  personal  friend,  Mr.  E.  G.  Spilsbury,  my  associate 
on  the  Dinner  Committee,  and  runs  thus: 

"  I  have  been  debarred  for  some  time  by  the  limitations 
of  age  from  assisting  at  any  function  which  takes  place  in 
the  evening.  I  have  been  trying,  however,  to  make  an 
exception  in  favor  of  the  complimentary  dinner  given  by 
his  admirers  to  my  old  and  valued  friend,  John  Fritz;  but 
now  that  the  time  has  arrived,  I  find  I  must  deny  myself 
the  pleasure  of  personally  congratulating  him,  in  the  com- 
pany of  his  loving  friends,  upon  the  attainment  of  his 
eightieth  birthday  in  the  full  possession  of  his  health  and 
faculties,  and  with  the  promise  of  many  honorable  years  to 
come. 

"  We  have  made  the  journey  of  life  together  and,  to  some 
extent,  upon  the  same  lines  of  action.  It  is  pleasant  to 
recall  that  during  the  half-century  of  our  association,  at 
times  of  competitive  struggle,  the  friendship  which  has 
existed  between  us  has  never  in  the  slightest  degree  been 
disturbed.  This  happy  experience  is  due,  doubtless,  to 
the  amiable  traits  of  Mr.  Fritz's  nature,  which,  with  all  its 
masculine  energy,  is  tempered  with  the  sweetness  of  the 
gentler  sex.  '  Once  a  friend,  always  a  friend,'  will  be 
inscribed  upon  the  record  of  a  career  which  in  some  respects 
is  unique  among  the  men  of  our  day  and  generation. 

"  I  do  not  intend  to  indulge  myself  in  recounting  any  of 
the  interesting  details  of  his  long  and  useful  life.  This 
pleasant  duty  will  be  performed  by  others,  but  I  do  desire 
to  point  out  that  the  life  work  of  John  Fritz  affords  a  very 
conspicuous  example  of  the  working  of  American  institu- 
tions during  the  century  which  has  just  closed,  the  most 
remarkable  era  of  progress  in  the  history  of  the  human  race. 

"  That  a  boy  born  in  humble  life,  with  no  advantages  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  279 

education  or  opportunities  for  position,  without  influential 
friends  or  the  favoring  accidents  of  fortune,  should  be  able 
to  advance  steadily  in  usefulness,  power,  and  the  respect  of 
his  fellow  men,  until  by  common  consent  he  occupies  the 
first  place  in  the  domain  of  practical  industry  with  which 
he  has  been  connected,  gives  conclusive  evidence  that 
political  institutions  which  afford  free  play  to  individual 
ambition,  industry,  ability,  and  strict  integrity  are  worthy 
of  all  loyalty  and  should  be  cherished  and  preserved  at  all 
costs  and  hazards. 

"  The  developments  of  the  twentieth  century  show  that 
these  institutions  are  in  great  peril.  Their  essence  is  to  be 
found  in  individual  liberty,  involving  the  right  of  free  labor 
and  the  acquisition  of  private  property  under  lawful  con- 
ditions. When  the  right  of  free  action  shall  be  suppressed, 
the  possibility  of  a  career  like  that  of  John  Fritz  will  be 
destroyed.  Collectivism  ending  in  Socialism,  may  afford 
other  advantages,  but  let  it  not  be  overlooked  that  these 
advantages  will  be  obtained  only  by  the  sacrifice  of  personal 
freedom,  and  will  arrest  the  progress  of  civilization  due, 
during  the  ages  that  have  passed,  to  the  substitution  of 
freedom  for  force. 

"  John  Fritz  is  a  living  proof  of  the  results  of  individual 
and  industrial  liberty  in  a  country  endowed  with  boundless 
resources.  In  vain  shall  we  seek  for  a  like  career  in  nations 
or  in  countries  where  the  individual  initiative  has  been 
suppressed.  The  stagnation  of  China,  whose  men  are 
physically  strong  and  whose  resources  are  abundant,  is  in 
marked  contrast  with  our  own  land,  where  heretofore  every 
citizen  has  been  free  to  employ  his  labor  and  his  energies  in 
his  own  way,  so  long  as  the  rights  of  others  were  respected. 

"  John  Fritz,  therefore,  is  to  us  more  than  a  man  whom 
we  love  and  respect,  more  than  a  friend  to  whom  we  wish 
many  years  of  health  and  happiness:  he  is  an  example  of 


280  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

the  free  spirit  of  American  institutions,  a  beacon  light  warn- 
ing the  present  and  coming  generations  against  permitting 
any  invasion  of  the  principle  of  the  liberty  of  the  citizen, 
which  alone  has  made  our  beloved  country  great  and  free." 

Mr.  Martin,  after  reading  the  letter,  proposed  three 
cheers  for  Mr.  Hewitt,  which  were  given  heartily. 

THE  TOASTMASTER:  —  In  this  wicked  world  which  we 
inhabit  it  is  very  little  use  to  build  a  nation,  such  as  Mr. 
Hewitt  has  suggested,  unless  we  are  prepared  to  keep  it 
with  the  sword.  I  am  told  that  in  certain  newspaper  offices 
war  has  been  abolished,  and  that  armies  and  navies  are  now 
refuges  for  the  idle,  and  schools  of  pride  and  cruelty. 
(Laughter.)  And  yet  some  of  my  friends  of  some  practical 
experience  assure  me  that  the  devil  is  not  yet  dead  and  that 
the  richest  man  must  still  be  prepared  to  fight  for  his  own. 
However  that  may  be,  this  gentleman  on  my  right  whose 
amiability  you  have  heard  expressly  dwelt  upon  has  spent 
some  valuable  years  of  his  life  in  making  material  for 
the  efficient  and  complete  destruction  of  his  brother  man. 
(Applause  and  laughter.)  In  1898  we  were  very  glad  to 
have  some  of  that  material  in  our  ships.  (Applause.)  I 
spoke  a  moment  ago  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  struggle  for  liberty 
regulated  by  law.  I  ought  to  have  said  the  struggle  of 
those  born  to  speaking  the  English  language,  for  the 
Scotchmen,  who  I  believe  are  not  Anglo-Saxon,  have  a 
certain  fine  aptitude  for  fighting,  and  with  their  broad- 
swords they  have  helped  us  in  carving  out  that  path  toward 
liberty.  I  am  about  to  introduce  to  you  a  Scotchman. 
He  is,  I  presume  —  I  am  not  told  so  —  a  descendant  of 
William  Wallace  himself.  (Laughter.)  He  is  a  sailor  and 
a  warrior.  He  is  an  explorer  who  has  written  his  name 
across  the  Arctic  Sea  and  he  is  an  engineer  who  has  written 
his  name  across  the  story  of  our  new  navy.  I  have  the 
honor  to  introduce  Rear-Admiral  George  Wallace  Melville. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  281 

SPEECH  OF  REAR-ADMIRAL  MELVILLE. 

REAR-ADMIRAL  MELVILLE:  —  Gentlemen:  I  am  called  on 
to  respond  for  the  Navy  of  the  United  States.  (Applause.) 
The  Navy  of  the  United  States  is  no  mean  institution.  It 
is  second  to  none  in  the  world,  except  in  tonnage.  (Ap- 
plause.) You  will  rightly  understand  that  I  am  pleading 
for  more  tonnage  —  more  tonnage,  more  guns,  more  armor, 
more  speed.  I  will  divert  from  the  Navy,  however,  for  a 
few  minutes  and  for  a  very  few  minutes. 

Among  us  here  to-night  is  our  veritable  Vulcan,  whom  we 
are  assembled  to  honor,  the  Fire  God  and  Iron  King  of  the 
great  engineering  profession,  —  John  Fritz. 

"  Those  who  labor 
The  sweaty  forge,  who  edge  the  crooked  scythe, 

Bend  stubborn  steel,  and  harden  gleaming  armor, 
Acknowledge  Vulcan's  aid." 

Who  of  us  all  would  not  doff  the  hat  and  bow  the  head  in 
honor  to  this  our  grand  brother  of  the  forge  and  the  mill !  .  . 
Our  guest,  by  his  mechanical  ability  and  resourceful  enter- 
prise, has  done  much  to  force  the  recognition  of  engineering 
as  a  profession.  But  the  engineer  of  the  hour  is  not  without 
honor,  and  we  who  are  here  to-night  know  full  well  that 
the  praises  of  John  Fritz  have  been  sung  again  and  again, 
and  that  his  name  is  grandly  linked  with  the  development 
of  the  iron  and  steel  industries  in  this  country.  .  .  . 
"  Good  Uncle  John,"  as  we  call  him,  was  born  in  a  hamlet 
where  everybody  worked,  and  in  early  youth  he  acquired 
the  habits  of  industry.  It  was  a  community  where  every 
one  respected  the  rights  of  his  neighbor,  and  he  grew  up 
with  the  love  of  his  fellow  man  as  the  cardinal  precept  of  his 
creed.  Living  in  a  State  that  was  rich  in  natural  resources 
and  the  center  of  the  infant  iron  industry,  he  began  to 
comprehend  the  possibilities  of  making  the  United  States 
the  granary  of  the  world,  and  of  so  improving  the  manu- 


282  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

facture  of  iron  and  steel  that  the  product  of  the  western 
plain  could  not  only  be  carried  cheaply  to  the  manufactur- 
ing districts  of  the  Atlantic  coast,  but  even  to  the  remote 
countries  beyond  the  sea.  When  we  review  the  life  work 
of  this  man,  and  measure  his  influence  in  the  moulding  of 
the  destinies  of  the  industrial  world  —  no  wonder  that  we 
account  him  great.  He  has  seen  the  crude  mill  and  furnace 
grow,  under  his  very  hands,  as  it  were,  into  the  perfectly 
equipped  modern  plant  —  he  having  been  identified  with 
every  important  improvement  that  made  for  increased 
production  in  iron.  ...  In  the  naval  world  he  will  be 
regarded,  by  reason  of  the  part  he  played  in  giving  us  our 
first  armor  plant,  as  one  of  the  few  persons  without  the 
service  who  made  it  possible  for  the  nation  to  secure  on 
the  seas  even  a  greater  prestige  and  influence  than  it  ever 
possessed  before. 

It  is  because  dear  old  Uncle  John,  during  his  long  and 
busy  life,  has  stood  for  integrity,  faithfulness,  and  applica- 
tion, and  everything  of  good  report  and  right  living,  that 
he  has,  aside  from  his  mechanical  genius,  been  able  to  make 
so  good  a  fight.  Our  hearts  go  out  to  this  man,  who  has 
done  more  than  his  duty  —  more  than  his  share  of  the 
work.  His  open-heartedness  and  gentleness  of  soul  win 
our  universal  good  will  and  esteem.  Those  who  know  him 
best  love  him  most.  ...  I  know  that  Uncle  John 
would  dispense  with  these  honors  that  we  would  show  him 
to-night;  but  he,  good  man,  must  not  forget  that  we  are  a 
little  selfish  in  this  matter,  because  we  are  proud  to  be 
associated  with  him,  and  to  be  able  to  shine  just  a  little 
bit  by  his  reflected  glory. 

I  can  but  repeat  the  only  toast  of  the  evening,  —  Uncle 
John  Fritz,  the  Fire  God  and  the  Iron  King,  our  Vulcan, 
our  great  and  able  leader,  and,  as  well,  our  kind  and  gentle- 
hearted  brother.  (Loud  applause.) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  283 

THE  TOASTMASTER:  —  This  is  a  very  remarkable  occasion 
in  some  unexpected  ways.  We  are  honored  to-night  by  the 
presence  of  the  oldest  living  marine  engineer  probably  in 
the  world,  the  man  who  designed  and  engined  the  first 
steamship  for  the  United  States  Navy,  and  I  ask  you  to 
rise  and  give  three  cheers  for  Mr.  Charles  Haswell.  (Cheers.) 

MR.  HASWELL:  —  Through  a  long,  varied,  and  eventful 
life  I  have  received  some  compliments,  but  I  know  of  none 
equal  to  the  gracious  manner  in  which  you  have  been 
pleased  to  receive  my  name.  (Applause.)  And  I  assure 
you  that  I  shall  cherish  it,  not  only  in  memory,  but  I  shall 
instruct  my  children  to  bear  in  mind  your  gracious  compli- 
ment bestowed  upon  me.  (Applause.) 

THE  TOASTMASTER:  —  The  engineer  and  soldier  are  one 
type  of  man,  their  work  is  substantially  the  same.  It  deals 
with  the  properties  of  matter,  with  the  relations  of  time, 
space,  and  force.  It  develops  the  same  intellectual  and 
moral  qualities, — quick  resource,  self-reliance,  courage,  forti- 
tude, and  devotion  to  duty.  Joshua,  himself  a  great  com- 
mander of  troops,  was  a  born  engineer,  and  I  doubt  not 
that  he  destroyed  the  walls  of  Jericho  by  much  the  same 
means  that  would  have  been  used  to-day  by  the  distin- 
guished engineer  and  soldier  who  will  now  speak  for  the 
Army.  I  have  now  the  honor  to  introduce  Gen.  Eugene 
Griffin.  (Applause.) 

SPEECH  OF  GEN.  EUGENE  GRIFFIN. 

GENERAL  GRIFFIN:  —  The  force  known  as  the  regular 
army,  existing  by  the  will  of  Congress  annually  expressed, 
does  not  comprise  all  that  should  be  properly  included  in 
the  terms  of  our  toast.  The  history  and  traditions  of  the 
past;  the  long  record  of  glorious  victories  which  are  in- 
scribed on  the  blood-stained  pages  of  the  book  of  fame, 
all  belong  to  the  army  of  the  United  States.  Its  battle 


284  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

flags  adorn  our  capitols;  its  trophied  guns  our  parks  and 
public  places.  The  army  includes  the  unfed,  unshod,  un- 
paid, tattered  veterans  of  Valley  Forge  alike  with  the  con- 
quering host  which  Sherman  led  through  the  heart  of  the 
Confederacy;  it  includes  the  militia  of  1812,  alike  with  the 
grand  old  Army  of  the  Potomac  against  whose  iron  front  at 
Gettysburg  were  broken  and  scattered  the  advancing  waves 
of  the  rebellion;  includes  the  victorious  armies  which  feasted 
in  the  halls  of  the  Montezumas,  alike  with  the  heroes  of 
San  Juan  Hill;  it  includes  the  knightly  troopers  of  the  West, 
who  in  years  of  savage  warfare  have  written  a  record  of 
bold  adventure,  of  daring  achievements  and  heroic  sacrifices, 
which  are  but  feebly  portrayed  by  the  cold,  brief  words 
accompanying  the  medals  of  honor  so  brilliantly  won,  so 
sparingly  bestowed.  Regulars  and  volunteers  alike,  in 
foreign,  domestic,  and  savage  warfare,  our  army  has  made  a 
record  which  no  criticism  can  belittle,  which  no  eulogy  can 
enhance.  .  .  .  What  part  have  the  engineers  played 
in  this  glorious  record?  Have  our  military  brothers  upheld 
the  reputation  of  our  profession?  Let  us  see.  .  .  . 
Armistead,  the  third  graduate  of  the  United  States  Military 
Academy,  commanded  an  army  in  the  field  .  .  .  and 
Alexander  Macombe  was  called  from  his  high  place  as 
Chief  of  Engineers  to  take  command  of  the  army  of  the 
United  States  as  Major- General.  But  it  was  in  the  Civil 
War  that  the  great  opportunity  came  —  after  political  influ- 
ence had  ceased  to  be  a  potent  factor  and  when  real  merit 
was  pushing  men  to  the  front.  .  .  .  Here  is  a  list  of 
twelve  army  commanders  all  taken  from  the  Corps  of 
Engineers.  .  .  .  Twelve  corps  commanders  were  taken 
from  the  Corps  of  Engineers.  On  the  Confederate  side 
there  were  eleven  general  officers  with  big  commands,  and 
all  taken  from  the  Corps  of  Engineers.  And  again,  as 
division  and  brigade  commanders,  as  chiefs  of  staff  and  as 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  285 

staff  officers,  as  commanders  of  engineer  and  volunteer 
troops,  there  were  many  others  whose  names  would  make  a 
much  longer  list. 

Such  a  glorious  record  is  sufficient  evidence  that  the 
Corps  of  Engineers  furnished  much  more  than  its  fair  pro- 
portion of  skillful  leaders  and  able  soldiers,  and  that  they 
well  uphold  the  reputation  of  the  engineering  profession. 
The  fact  that  over  10  per  cent  of  all  the  officers  in  the  Corps 
of  Engineers  were  killed  in  battle  during  the  Civil  War  is 
the  best  possible  evidence  that  they  knew  how  to  fight. 

And  it  is  not  alone  in  practical  demonstration  of  the  art 
and  science  of  war  that  the  engineers  of  the  army  have  made 
so  good  a  record.  Their  work  in  civil  lines  bearing  upon 
social  and  economic  conditions  has  been  most  important. 
There  came  into  my  possession  to-day  the  manuscript  of  a 
most  interesting  chapter  bearing  upon  this  subject.  I 
quote  from  it  as  follows: 

"  The  Baltimore  &  Ohio  was  the  earliest  important  rail- 
road enterprise  undertaken  in  the  United  States.  S.  H. 
Long,  William  Howard,  and  William  Gibbs  McNeill,  all 
officers  of  engineers,  .  .  .  were  chosen  as  a  board  to 
select  the  proper  route  to  the  Ohio.  Upon  the  rails  defi- 
nitely located  by  McNeill,  for  the  first  time  in  America,  ran 
a  steam  locomotive.  Before  McNeill  resigned  in  1837  he 
had  surveyed  the  summit  division  of  the  C.  &  0.  canal,  and 
had  acted  as  chief  engineer  of  seven  other  railroads  from 
New  England  to  Florida  and  Alabama.  After  he  resigned, 
for  the  remaining  sixteen  years  of  his  life,  he  acted  as  chief 
or  consulting  engineer  upon  many  railroads  and  other 
public  enterprises  in  the  United  States  and  Cuba,  completing 
the  western  railroad  of  Massachusetts,  planning  and  practi- 
cally constructing  the  first  large  dry  docks  at  the  Brooklyn 
Navy  Yard,  and  acting  as  president  of  the  Chesapeake  & 
Ohio  canal. 


286  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

11  Probably  greater  than  McNeill  was  his  junior,  Whistler. 
.  .  .  In  1835  the  Russian  government  determined  to 
build  a  line  from  St.  Petersburg  to  Moscow.  A  commission 
of  Russian  engineers  suggested  Major  Whistler  to  take 
charge  of  this  work,  and  he  accepted  in  1842.  The  road 
and  its  equipment  were  planned  by  him  in  detail.  .  .  . 
His  report  upon  the  gauge  to  be  selected  has  been  pro- 
nounced one  of  the  finest  models  of  any  engineering  docu- 
ment ever  written.  ...  In  building  of  engines,  all 
parts  were  standardized  and  interchangeable.  Whistler 
died  in  1849.  Another  graduate  of  West  Point,  T.  S. 
Brown,  was  invited  to  succeed  him.  ...  In  a  hasty 
inspection  of  the  records,  I  have  been  able  to  count  49 
graduates  who  have  been  chief  engineers,  and  22  who  have 
been  presidents  of  railroads.  Many  have  acted  in  these 
capacities  on  several  railroads,  and  the  list  would  be  long 
indeed  of  those  who  have  served  as  resident  or  assistant 
engineers." 

Now,  as  to  our  honored  guest.  We  are  here  to-night  to 
testify  our  respect,  our  admiration,  our  affection  for  that 
sturdy  engineer,  that  noble  man,  —  John  Fritz.  He  has 
lived  a  life  which  we  may  well  strive  to  emulate,  and  made 
a  record  we  all  delight  to  honor.  Longfellow  says: 

"But  age  is  opportunity  no  less 
Than  youth,  though  in  another  dress; 
And  as  the  evening  twilight  fades  away 
The  sky  is  filled  with  stars,  invisible  by  day." 

It  is  my  hope  and  my  prayer,  it  is  the  hope  and  prayer 
of  all  of  us,  that  these  stars,  even  though  invisible  to  us, 
may  shine  brightly  and  serenely  upon  the  pathway  of 
John  Fritz  until  the  day  comes  when  the  great  Archangel 
sounds  the  last  taps  and  the  lamp  of  life  is  extinguished. 
(Hearty  and  continued  applause.) 

THE  TOASTMASTER:  —  We  will  now  have  a  few  extracts 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  287 

from  letters  and  other  messages  that  have  been  received, 
and  first  I  would  like  to  read  something  that  has  been 
handed  to  me.  The  President  of  the  World's  Fair  to  be 
held  at  St.  Louis,  Governor  Francis,  who  regrets  his  in- 
ability to  join  with  us  on  this  occasion,  has  asked  me  to 
announce  here  the  appointment  of  Mr.  John  Fritz  as 
Honorary  Expert  in  the  Metallurgy  of  Iron  and  Steel  for 
the  Exposition.  (Applause.) 

The  messages  of  congratulation  and  so  forth  will  be  read 
by  a  gentleman  who  with  characteristic  modesty  has  under- 
taken to  conceal  his  identity,  inasmuch  as  he  had  the 
preparation  of  this  printed  list.  At  the  risk  of  interrupting 
a  friendship  of  twenty  years,  I  am  going  to  tell  you  his  name 
presently.  I  want  to  tell  you  that  we  are  all  very  greatly 
indebted  to  him  for  the  tremendous  amount  of  energy  and 
devotion  and  ingenuity  which  he  has  put  into  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  details  of  this  dinner;  as,  for  instance,  this 
beautiful  menu  which  you  see.  It  was  prepared  entirely 
under  his  direction,  and  I  would  suggest  that  each  one  of 
you  carry  away  his  menu  with  religious  care,  because  it 
will  be  extremely  difficult  for  you  to  replace  it  if  you  lose 
it  now,  and  I  am  sure  you  will  prize  it  very  greatly.  You 
will  observe  on  the  first  page  the  autograph  of  Mr.  John 
Fritz,  which  he  has  put  there  with  a  good  deal  of  trouble; 
I  think  he  signed  some  six  hundred  of  them,  having  before 
him  the  constant  terror  of  writer's  cramp.  (Laughter.) 
To  the  chairman  of  the  Dinner  Committee  we  owe  this, 
also,  which  I  am  told  is  the  revised  American  Society 
section  of  rail  (laughter),  and  we  owe  to  him  a  great  many 
other  things;  but  I  promised  to  tell  you  his  name,  —  Mr. 
Thomas  Commerford  Martin.  (Applause  and  cheers.) 

MR.  MARTIN:  —  On  behalf  of  the  Dinner  Committee,  I 
wish  to  announce  that  we  did  not  attempt  to  revise  the 
standard  section  of  steel  rail  in  America.  (Laughter  and 


288  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

applause.)  You  will  find  this  sample  in  the  catalogues; 
I  will  not  say  whose.  (Laughter.)  I  told  Mr.  Wellman, 
when  he  remarked  to  me  in  the  way  of  criticism  that  he 
was  not  familiar  with  that  section  (laughter),  that  Oscar 
said  it  had  to  fit  the  sorbet  boxes.  Mr.  Wellman  said  that 
that  was  something  new  to  him  in  the  way  of  steel  rails. 
(Laughter.)  I  have  here  a  bunch  of  messages,  cable  dis- 
patches, and  letters,  and  a  whole  volume  more  on  ice  at  the 
Engineers'  Club.  (Laughter.)  I  will  not  inflict  many  on 
you,  but  I  believe  you  will  be  glad  to  hear  each  one  of  these. 

MESSAGES  OF  CONGRATULATION. 

Letters,  telegrams,  etc.,  read. 

SAN  FRANCISCO. 

Regret  enforced  absence  on  this  occasion,  which  marks  an  epoch  in 
American  metallurgy  by  honoring  your  birthday.  "  Ithuriel's  spear 
touched  a  toad,  it  became  a  jewel."  You  touched  iron  ore  and  transformed 
it  into  armor,  guns,  shafts,  plate,  materials,  with  which  American  engineers 
have  conquered  the  whole  world  by  land  and  sea.  All  hail  Unser  Fritz, 
father  of  us  all.  Deem  it  not  a  too  presumptuous  folly,  this  spray  of  western 
pine  beside  your  eastern  oak  and  holly. 

IRVING  M.  SCOTT. 

GENOA,  ITALY. 

Though  absent  and  far  away,  I  wish  to  add  my  congratulations  to  Mr. 
Fritz  on  his  eightieth  birthday.  He  has  done  more  for  the  steel  industry 
than  any  man  living,  and  we  all  acknowledge  him  as  our  master  and  prize 
him  as  our  friend.  CHARLES  M.  SCHWAB. 

LONDON. 

Absent  in  body,  present  in  mind.     Thanks  for  thirty  years'  friendship. 

C.  P.  SANDBERG. 

DUFFERDINGEN. 

Sincere  wishes  to  your  eightieth  birthday  and  respectful  homages  to  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  American  iron  industry.  MAX  MEIER. 

Heartiest  congratulations  and  hopes  that  we  may  for  a  long  time  still, 
keep  your  true  friendship. 

GREINER, 

Chf.  Engr.  John  Cockerill  Works, 
Seraing,  Belgium. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  289 

DUSSELDORF. 

Happy  salutation  to  the  well-deserved  chief  of  Ironmasters. 

Verein  Deutscher  Eisenhuettenleute, 

CARL  LUEG  SCHROEDTER. 

Winsor  Richards,  Edward  Martin,  and  Arthur  Keen,  London,  much 
regret  they  are  not  with  you  to-day,  but  join  your  many  friends  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Atlantic  in  wishing  you  very  many  happy  returns  of  your  birthday. 

EDWARD  MARTIN, 
(Mgr.  Director,  Dowlais  Works,  England.) 

On  this  day  of  honor  congratulations  and  heartfelt  well-wishes. 

AXEL  SAHLIN, 
G.  M.,  Millom  &  Askam  Furnaces,  West  Cumberland,  England. 

THE  RECTORY,  ST.  ANDREWS,  SCOTLAND. 

Absence  deeply  regretted.  Long  life,  happiness,  health,  wealth,  and 
honor  to  John  Fritz,  rolling-mill  pioneer,  friend  and  counsellor  of  us  all. 

CARNEGIE. 

SHEFFIELD. 
Sheffield's  heartiest  greetings  to  John  Fritz. 

ROBERT  HADFIELD, 
(Inventor  of  Manganese  Steel.) 

Regret  my  absence.  Add  my  best  wishes  to  all  those  showered  upon 
John  Fritz  this  evening. 

JAMES  DREDGE, 
Editor,  London  Engineering. 

Best  wishes  for  the  John  Fritz  Medal  banquet. 

P.  T.  BERG, 
(Formerly  Chf .  Eng.  of  the  Homestead  Works.) 

As  I  am  obliged  to  sail  for  Europe  on  the  morning  of  October  3ist,  it  is 
with  profound  regret  that  I  have  to  announce  my  inability  to  be  present 
at  the  banquet  to  be  given  on  that  date  to  Mr.  John  Fritz,  the  man  who  has 
done  so  much  for  this  country  as  a  pioneer  in  its  great  iron  and  steel  indus- 
tries. 

When  we  compare  the  feeble  beginnings  of  this  department  of  metal- 
lurgy with  its  strength  to-day,  we  are  astounded  and  can  well  understand 
the  consternation  of  European  nations,  as  they  contemplate  the  giant 
strides  we  have  made  and  are  still  making  in  this  branch  of  industry.  This 
state  of  things  has  been  made  possible  only  by  the  great  work  of  such  masters 


2QO  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

as  our  honored  friend.    May  his  latter  days  be  like  those  of  Moses,  "  his 
eye  not  dim,  or  his  natural  force  abated." 

Sincerely, 

E.  E.  OLCOTT, 
(Pres.  Am.  Inst.  Mining  Engrs.) 

Mr.  Ambrose  Swasey  also  cabled  his  congratulations  from  Japan,  where 
he  was  traveling. 

THE  TOASTMASTER:  —  Ever  since  men  quit  fighting  with 
clubs,  iron  has  been  the  great  war  material,  and  it  is  still 
the  real  precious  metal,  because  the  man  who  has  iron  can 
get  coal,  and  yet  the  consumption  of  iron  as  a  material  of 
war  is  very  insignificant  as  compared  with  its  consumption 
in  the  arts  of  peace.  Civilization  is  well  measured  by  the 
consumption  of  iron,  and  in  our  own  country  we  consume 
more  per  capita  than  any  other  nation.  You  may  draw  your 
own  inference  as  to  our  standing  in  civilization.  Of  all 
the  iron  and  steel  that  we  produce  now,  it  is  probable  that 
not  more  than  one-half  of  one  per  cent  goes  into  ships  of 
war,  guns,  shell,  and  other  military  material.  Practically, 
all  of  it  is  consumed  in  the  tools  of  peace.  The  gentleman 
who  will  speak  for  the  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers, 
of  which  he  is  an  honored  past  president,  has  himself,  I 
suppose,  consumed  about  one  hundred  thousand  tons  of 
iron  and  steel  in  the  bridges  which  he  has  built.  I  have 
the  honor  to  introduce  Mr.  George  S.  Morison.  (Applause.) 

SPEECH  OF  MR.   GEORGE  S.  MORISON. 

MR.  MORISON:  —  Mr.  President,  Gentlemen,  Ladies: 
The  amount  of  iron  and  steel  which  I  have  myself  consumed 
is  so  insignificant  in  comparison  with  what  is  used  every 
day  now,  that  I  feel  as  if  your  introduction  was  a  puff  which 
I  did  not  deserve.  But  we  are  here  with  especial  respect 
to  a  great  ironmaster,  and  the  ironmaster  has  done  more 
than  anybody  else  to  raise  the  profession  of  the  civil  en- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  291 

gineer  to  the  rank  which  it  holds  to-day.  (Applause.) 
The  civil  engineer's  profession  is  less  than  a  century  old. 
The  civil  engineer's  work,  dating  from  the  remotest  an- 
tiquity, was  confined  to  other  materials  than  metal.  His 
works  were  built  of  timber  and  his  fine  works  of  stone. 
The  iron  master  has  added  iron  and  steel.  The  profession 
is  no  longer  dependent  solely  on  the  laws  of  compression: 
it  has  the  laws  of  tension  and  of  elasticity  as  well.  It  has 
been  elevated  and  raised  by  these  increased  powers,  and 
it  is  the  ironmaster  who  has  rendered  this  possible.  To  no 
one  does  our  profession  owe  such  a  debt  of  gratitude  as  to 
these  men  who  have  given  us  the  material  of  modern  con- 
struction. But  it  is  not  only  in  this  way  that  we  would 
refer  to  our  guest  of  the  evening.  The  profession  of  the 
civil  engineer  is  new  as  a  profession.  It  has  been  built  up 
in  the  last  century.  The  men  who  built  it  up  and  made  it 
what  it  is,  were  men  who  not  only  had  to  build  it  but  to 
make  their  own  precedents  and  find  their  own  way.  They 
could  not  be  educated,  because  no  man  is  educated  in  that 
which  has  not  yet  been  done.  They  had  to  do  their  first  work 
themselves.  (Applause.)  If  we  go  back  through  the  his- 
tory of  the  world,  we  find  in  the  earliest  times  that  a  set 
of  men  established  the  conditions  while  working  with  the 
sword,  by  personal  bravery,  by  indomitable  skill.  We  find 
those  men  classed  in  all  ancient  history  as  heroes.  They 
were  the  heroes  of  war,  and  if  they  were  the  right  kind  of 
heroes  they  were  the  masters  in  peace.  The  hero  was  the 
man  of  the  earliest  times,  and  after  that  when  we  come  to 
a  time  when  intellect  rather  than  prowess  began  to  have 
its  effect,  when  education  was  not  general  but  was  special- 
ized among  a  few,  we  find  another  set  of  men  of  very  different 
order,  who  led  people  forward  by  the  force  of  their  minds, 
and  their  intellect,  and  who  were  known  as  the  prophets  of 
those  days.  And  passing  from  the  time  of  prophecy  to  the 


292  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

times  which  we  can  almost  remember  ourselves,  because 
we  remember  the  people  who  were  active  then,  we  come 
to  the  very  class  of  men  who  made  our  country  possible, 
who  did  the  work  which  Mr.  Hewitt  has  so  graphically 
described,  and  who  were  the  patriots  of  that  period.  These 
three  classes  of  men  have  made  the  history  of  the  past. 
Their  work  was  done  practically  before  our  profession 
began,  but  in  the  work  of  the  last  century,  the  time  that 
has  made  the  profession  of  civil  engineering  what  it  is,  we 
have  had  in  that  profession  a  set  of  men  who  have  perhaps 
done  more  than  any  of  the  others  to  render  the  conditions 
of  universal  humanity  possible  which  we  see  to-day.  Those 
have  been  the  men,  who,  working  without  precedent,  find- 
ing their  own  way,  laying  the  foundation  for  the  education 
which  the  profession  in  the  twentieth  century  will  enjoy, 
have  brought  up  civil  engineering  to  what  it  is.  You  may 
call  them  heroes,  you  may  call  them  prophets,  you  may  call 
them  patriots;  they  have  the  best  qualities  of  all  three. 
But  I  think  they  can  in  no  way  be  described  better  than 
the  men  who  have  done  the  most  to  utilize  the  forces  and 
the  materials  of  nature  for  the  best  good  of  our  race.  They 
are  the  pioneers  and  the  best  civil  engineers,  and  among 
them  we  can  place  no  one  in  a  higher  rank  than  our  guest 
of  to-night.  (Applause.) 

THE  TOASTMASTER:  —  Now  we  come  to  the  foundation 
of  things.  But  for  the  mining  engineer  we  should  have 
no  ironmasters.  The  mining  engineer  made  John  Fritz 
possible.  He  made  Bob  Hunt  possible.  He  made  Alex- 
ander Holley  possible.  (Applause.)  The  American  In- 
stitute of  Mining  Engineers  will  be  spoken  for  to-night  by 
a  gentleman  who  for  many  years  has  ably  served  that 
institution  as  its  secretary  and  who  has  made  a  great  mark 
on  its  history.  I  mean  Dr.  Rossiter  W.  Raymond.  (Ap- 
plause.) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  293 

SPEECH  OF  DR.  ROSSITER  W.  RAYMOND. 

DR.  RAYMOND:  —  Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 
Nothing  less,  I  think,  than  the  occasion  and  the  subject  of 
to-night  could  have  stimulated  a  busy  and  a  weary  man  to 
come  here  at  this  hour.  I  suppose  that  very  few  men  now 
living  or  who  ever  have  lived,  or  if  they  did  live,  ever  lived 
very  long  under  such  a  burden  of  reiterated,  monotonous, 
successive,  and  onerous  occupations  as  has  been  for  the  past 
few  months,  particularly,  in  view  of  certain  extra  volumes 
and  so  forth,  the  lot  of  the  secretary  of  the  Institute  of 
Mining  Engineers.  In  fact,  when  I  consider  the  work  of 
my  recent  occupation,  I  can  find  no  parallel  to  it  except  the 
case  of  the  old  fellow  who  kept  a  lighthouse  off  the  Maine 
coast,  who  was  left  alone,  tending  his  light,  coming  to  the 
mainland  once  in  a  while  to  buy  himself  a  plug  of  tobacco 
and  row  himself  back  again  to  his  lonesome  habitation. 
Well,  there  was  a  colporteur  and  tract  distributor  in  Maine 
who  heard  of  this  hermit  and  resolved  to  bring  him  some 
spiritual  benefits.  So  on  one  occasion,  seizing  the  oppor- 
tunity of  a  calm  sea,  he  rowed  himself  out  of  sight  of  land 
and  reached  the  distant  lighthouse  on  the  outside  line  of 
our  coast,  and  he  undertook  to  leave  with  the  lighthouse 
keeper  a  package  of  useful  and  inspiring  tracts,  and  the 
old  man  said:  "  Take  them  away;  I  haven't  got  any  time 
for  them."  (Laughter.)  "  Why,"  said  the  other,  "you 
must  have  a  great  deal  of  time;  you  have  nothing  to  do  here 
but  to  tend  your  light.  I  should  think  you  would  be  very 
glad  of  a  little  occupation."  "  Occupation,"  said  the  old 
fellow;  "  I  have  got  occupation  enough.  I  have  got  St. 
Vitus's  dance  and  a  Waterbury  watch."  (Laughter.) 
That  is  about  the  condition  of  the  office  of  the  secretary 
of  the  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers.  (Laughter.)  But 
if  I  were  weary  unto  death,  methinks  I  would  stir  myself  to 


294  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

rise  and  come  hither  and  accept  the  great  privilege  of  speak- 
ing a  word  to-night  for  the  man  and  for  the  society  that  I 
love.  (Applause.) 

You  do  well,  Mr.  President,  to  call  upon  the  Institute  of 
Mining  Engineers  upon  this  occasion.  The  Institute  of 
Mining  Engineers  was  the  first  technical  society  in  this 
country  to  recognize  those  virtues  and  merits,  that  bril- 
liancy, that  fidelity,  that  glorious  character  in  John  Fritz 
which  you  now  at  this  meeting  do  again.  (Applause.) 
Our  society  was  organized  in  1871  and  we  elected  John 
Fritz  in  1872  a  member,  in  1875  we  made  him  vice-president. 
I  do  not  blame  the  Mechanicals  for  not  doing  it  so  early  - 
they  were  not  born.  (Laughter.)  In  1894  we  made  him 
our  president.  The  Mechanical  Engineers,  with  commend- 
able imitation  of  us  (laughter),  elected  him  a  member  in 
1 88 1  and  president  in  1895,  after  we  had  got  through. 
(Laughter.)  The  Civil  Engineers  elected  him  a  member 
in  1893,  and,  much  to  their  credit,  elected  him  an  honorary 
member  in  1899.  I*1  that,  gentlemen,  as  in  almost  every 
other  important  step,  the  progress  of  the  American  Institute 
of  Mining  Engineers  leads  the  procession.  (Laughter.) 
But  there  is  another  reason  why  you  do  well  to  couple  the 
name  of  this  honored  man  with  the  name  of  the  society 
which  honored  him  first.  The  American  Institute  of 
Mining  Engineers  belongs  to  the  class  of  which  John  Fritz 
is  an  example  and  a  type.  There  are  three  kinds  of  people: 
the  men  that  do  things,  the  men  that  hinder  things,  and  the 
men  that  report  and  criticize  things  (laughter) ;  the  workers, 
the  shirkers,  and  the  reporters.  Now,  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Mining  Engineers  is  composed  of  the  men  that 
do  things.  (Laughter.)  The  chairman  of  your  Dinner 
Committee  has  just  read  a  long  list,  from  celebrated  sources, 
of  congratulatory  telegrams.  Every  single  name  in  that 
list  except  the  Japanese  name  which  I  could  not  understand 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  295 

as  it  was  pronounced,  is  a  member  of  the  Institute  of  Mining 
Engineers.  Last  year  a  collection  was  made  of  the  so- 
called  Captains  of  Industry  to  welcome  Prince  Henry  of 
Germany.  Twenty  per  cent  of  the  entire  list  were  members 
of  the  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers;  of  those  who  were 
eligible  for  membership,  ninety-nine  per  cent.  (Laughter.) 
The  first  president  of  the  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers, 
Father  David  Thomas,  and  its  twelfth  president,  John 
Fritz,  alike  were  practical  men,  —  men  who  had  made  their 
own  way,  and  who,  although  they  had  been  obliged  to 
triumph  without  the  aid  of  an  early  education,  were  among 
the  most  cordial  to  welcome  such  an  education,  its  advan- 
tages to  the  next  generation,  its  aid  to  themselves.  We 
begin  at  the  outside,  unlike  the  other  technical  societies  of 
this  country,  and  I  do  not  claim  that  our  system  is  better. 
I  have  often  said  that  I  could  recognize  the  advantages  of 
others,  but  I  do  think  that  it  is  different.  We  have  in  our 
membership  common  miners,  laborers,  mine  foremen,  and 
people  that  cannot  spell  —  but  then,  that  is  nothing,  most 
of  you  can't  spell.  (Laughter.)  I  am  an  editor  and  I 
know.  (Laughter.)  We  have  men  who  understand,  and 
it  has  been  our  strength  and  our  glory  and  our  growth  that 
we  had  from  the  beginning  the  men  who  understood,  not 
merely  the  intricacies  of  theory,  but  the  still  more  devilish 
intricacies  of  practical  experience.  Let  me  tell  you  just 
a  little  thing  that  I  heard  John  Fritz  once  say,  and  let  me 
sum  up  the  whole  matter  as  to  this  point  with  that.  Fritz 
said  to  me:  "  When  I  am  going  to  start  a  new  engine,  I 
want  a  good  draughtsman  to  make  the  drawings,  and  I 
want  the  patterns  to  be  well  made,  and  I  want  the  pieces 
to  be  assembled  and  put  together  in  the  shop,  and  then  I 
want  them  taken  to  the  mill,  and  I  want  the  machine 
erected,  and  then  when  the  boys  come  to  me  and  say  it  is 
all  right,  I  say,  Are  you  sure  it  is  all  right?  Does  every- 


296  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

thing  fit?  Is  it  all  according  to  the  drawings?  Are  all  the 
proportions  just  right?  Yes,  yes,  yes.  Well,  then,  turn 
on  the  steam  and  let  us  see  why  the  thing  won't  go." 
(Laughter.)  That  is  another  matter  in  which  I  claim  that 
John  Fritz  is  a  worthy  member  and  a  typical  member  of 
the  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers.  In  the  thirty-one 
volumes  of  our  transactions,  over  twenty-five  thousand 
pages  octavo,  you  will  not  find  in  the  transactions  of  this 
really  national  mine  workers'  union  —  you  will  not  find  one 
single  line  about  raising  the  pay  of  engineers.  (Laughter.) 
You  will  find  a  great  many  pages  about  raising  engineers. 
You  will  not  find  one  single  plan  for  shortening  a  day's  work 
or  diminishing  the  quantity  of  labor  that  an  honest  man 
gives  for  his  wages.  (Applause.)  But  you  will  find  a  great 
many  pages  devoted  to  the  problem  of  increasing  and  im- 
proving the  quality  of  the  labor.  You  will  find  the  spirit 
of  giving  more  than  you  get  stamped  on  its  pages.  You 
will  find  that  the  enemy  of  that  Society  is  not  capital,  but 
ignorance;  that  the  weapon  of  that  Society  is  not  the  brutal 
boycott  or  the  senseless  strike  or  the  voluntary  idleness, 
which  a  certain  great  authority  has  recently  declared  to  be 
the  weapon  of  another  society,  but  industry,  knowledge, 
and  light.  You  will  find  that  Society  recognizing  individual 
manhood.  You  will  find  that  Society  rewarding  it  with 
its  recognition  and  its  praise  and  not  believing  in  any 
solidarity  of  occupation  which  constitutes  a  mass  without 
units.  (Applause.)  You  will  find  that  Society  entertain- 
ing the  ideal  of  manhood  that  rises  not  upon  the  ruined 
homes  and  slain  bodies  of  its  fellow  men,  but  uplifted  on 
their  grateful  hands.  You  will  find  that  Society  standing 
in  a  solid  rank  for  individual  liberty,  for  individual  en- 
deavor, for  the  man  who  works  over  hours,  for  the  man  who 
thinks  more  of  his  duties  than  of  his  rights,  for  the  man  who 
gives  forever  and  forever  more  than  he  gets.  (Applause.) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  297 

And  against  the  glorified  picture  of  another  John  which  has 
been  set  before  us  in  these  latter  days,  we  lift  the  type  of 
our  John,  —  John  Fritz  (applause) ;  and  we  match  John 
Fritz's  day  with  John  Mitchell's  day;  that  was  yesterday; 
this  is  to-day,  and  thank  God  it  is  to-morrow  and  forever. 
(Applause.) 

I  pray  God  that  the  medal  which  we  have  this  night 
installed  will  stand  forever  for  those  who  shall  win  and  wear 
it,  as  the  name  upon  it  stands  to-day  for  such  qualities  as 
these.  I  pray  God  that  He  may  grant  it  —  nay,  He  will 
grant  it,  for  He  is  not  dead,  and  American  manhood  and 
liberty  inspired  by  Him  are  not  dead,  and  Justice  and  Truth 
are  the  foundations  of  our  national  life  as  they  are  the 
foundation  of  His  eternal  throne.  (Tremendous  applause.) 

THE  TOASTMASTER:  —  I  have  here  a  telegram  which  has 
just  been  received:  "  Accept  my  heartiest  congratulations. 
I  join  with  those  present  in  honoring  you.  Controlling 
reasons  prevent  my  being  with  you.  George  Westing- 
house."  (Applause.)  The  stated  order  of  proceeding  will 
now  be  rudely  interrupted  by  Mr.  John  C.  Kafer,  of  the 
Dinner  Committee,  who  has  something  to  say.  (Applause.) 

MR.  KAFER:  —  Mr.  Chairman,  Mr.  Fritz,  and  Gentlemen: 
I  am  delegated  by  Mr.  Irving  M.  Scott  of  San  Francisco, 
who  has  sent  me  this  beautiful  loving  cup,  to  present  it  to 
Mr.  John  Fritz,  in  commemoration  of  what  Mr.  Fritz  has 
done  for  him  in  his  work  in  building  the  Oregon.  On  this 
cup  is  inscribed  the  following:  "  To  John  Fritz  on  his 
eightieth  birthday.  The  builder  of  the  West  greets  the 
genius  of  the  East.  The  Oregon's  performance  glorifies 
the  steel  of  Fritz."  (Applause.) 

We  have  with  us  here  to-night  the  designer  of  the  ma- 
chinery of  the  Oregon,  Rear-Admiral  Melville.  We  have 
Mr.  Lewis  Nixon,  who  was  the  designer  of  the  hull.  Mr. 
Irving  Scott  promised  to  be  here  but  could  not  get  here, 


298  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

and  Mr.  Henry  Scott  was  unavoidably  detained.  Mr. 
Fritz,  I  present  this  to  you  in  the  name  of  Mr.  Irving  M. 
Scott  of  San  Francisco.  (Applause.) 

THE  TOASTMASTER:  —  I  suppose  that  no  other  body  of 
men  ever  spoiled  so  much  good  steel  as  the  mechanical 
engineers.  (Applause.)  And  I  know  of  no  one  so  well 
qualified  to  apologize  for  them  as  their  honored  past  presi- 
dent, whom  I  shall  presently  introduce.  It  is  especially 
fitting  that  he  shall  speak  here,  because  he  was  one  of  the 
Bessemer  boys  in  the  very  infancy  of  the  art.  He  worked 
under  and  with  John  Fritz  and  George  Fritz  and  Bill  Jones, 
and  that  soaring  genius,  that  beautiful  spirit,  that  greatest 
of  them  all,  Alexander  Holley.  (Applause.)  What  a  priv- 
ilege it  was  to  begin  one's  life  work  building  up  a  great 
art  in  such  company!  It  is  my  privilege  now  to  introduce 
to  you  that  highly  favored  gentleman,  Capt.  Robert  W. 
Hunt.  (Applause.) 

SPEECH.  OF  CAPT.  ROBERT  W.  HUNT. 

CAPTAIN  HUNT:  —  Mr.  Toastmaster,  Ladies  and  Gentle- 
men: My  tongue  would  have  to  be  palsied  if  I  could  not  re- 
spond to  such  an  introduction.  The  only  thing  that  makes 
it  embarrassing  is  that  my  name  should  be  coupled  with 
those  greater  ones.  But  it  was,  thank  God,  from  the  in- 
spiration of  them,  that  any  success  which  may  have  come 
to  me  has  been  my  lot  to  achieve.  And  serving  under  John 
Fritz,  could  you  ask  a  better  pioneer,  could  you  ask  a 
greater,  a  more  inspiring  commander?  (Applause.)  The 
American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers  probably  made 
one  great  mistake  in  their  selection  of  a  president;  outside 
of  that  their  roll  shows  a  line  of  names  of  most  distinguished 
gentlemen,  and  among  them  none  tower  so  high  as  that  of 
John  Fritz.  He  made  our  society  great,  not  only  in  this 
land  but  in  the  lands  of  the  world.  Raymond  says  we  took 


FlG.    20.  —  CUP   PRESENTED    TO   JOHN    FRITZ  ON   HIS   EIGHTIETH    BlRTHDAY 

BY  IRVING  M.  SCOTT,  BUILDER  OF  THE  OREGON. 

(299) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  301 

him  second-handed.  But  we  were  only  waiting  to  give  him 
the  honor  which  belonged  to  him.  (Applause.)  And  when 
he  came  to  us  perfected  from  the  crucial  fire,  he  became  our 
president,  and  it  is  as  our  president  that  you  will  ever  know 
him.  (Applause  and  laughter.) 

It  happened,  gentlemen,  to  be  my  fate  to  commence  my 
active  career  in  the  iron  and  steel  business  at  Cambria  in 
1860,  and  I  went  there  just  one  month  after  Mr.  John  Fritz 
had  resigned  his  position  as  Chief  Engineer  and  General 
Manager  of  that  concern  to  remove  to  Bethlehem  and  there 
establish  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Company.  When  I  went  to 
Cambria  I  found  I  entered  a  house  of  mourning,  and  I  was 
greeted  with  tales  of  the  attributes  and  the  loving-kindness 
and  all  else  that  go  to  make  up  the  character  of  the  "  old 
man  "  who  had  gone  away.  I  found  there  succeeding  him 
his  brother  George  Fritz,  and  it  was  my  fate  to  become  and 
to  be  to  the  end  of  his  too  quickly  ended  life  his  most  inti- 
mate friend.  He  died  in  1873,  and  it  was  through  him  and 
by  him  that  I  knew  and  became  known  by  John  Fritz. 
You  call  him  "  Uncle  John  ";  I  have  a  right  and  I  claim  it 
to  get  closer,  because  he  is  nearer  me,  and  it  has  been  my 
fortune  during  these  many  active  years  to  know  that  I  was 
one  of  his  boys.  (Applause.)  I  regard  George  Fritz  and 
always  did  regard  him,  and  I  regard  his  memory  to-day  as 
that  of  the  greatest  mechanic  that  I  ever  knew.  (Applause.) 
And  still  he  thought,  as  he  called  him  with  the  rest  —  the 
"old  man"  was  greater  than  he.  (Applause.)  But  I 
know  that  neither  of  them  ever  took  a  step  that  he  did  not 
consult  the  other,  and  each  bore  to  the  other  the  greatest 
respect  for  his  ability.  And  later  Alec  Holley  was  let  into 
the  family.  (Applause.)  John  Fritz,  George  Fritz,  Alex- 
ander L.  Holley.  (Applause.)  Think  of  that  combination, 
gentlemen.  They  were  the  pioneers  of  the  Bessemer  busi- 
ness in  America.  (Applause.)  And  with  leaders,  able  as- 


302  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP  JOHN  FRITZ 

sistants  had  to  come.    The  result  —  America  has  led  the 
world.     (Applause.) 

A  peculiarity  of  Mr.  Fritz  which  you  all  know  is  that  he 
has  liked  hard  work,  and  he  also  has  built  better  than  he 
really  knew.  Typically,  I  remember  on  one  occasion 
he  called  in  a  friend  to  criticize  a  piece  of  machinery  which 
he  had  designed,  and  steam  had  been  turned  on  and  it  was 
running.  The  only  comment  that  this  friend  could  make 
was,  "  Mr.  Fritz,  don't  you  think  that  you  have  made  it 
unnecessarily  strong  ?  "  John  replied,  "  Well,  if  I  have,  it 
will  never  be  found  out."  (Applause  and  laughter.)  And 
I  tell  you  he  has  loved  hard  work.  There  was  an  occasion 
when  there  was  a  breakdown  at  the  Bethlehem  rail  mill 
and  the  mill  was  stopped.  Impatient  at  the  unsuccessful 
efforts  of  those  who  tried  to  drive  the  broken  casting  off 
the  shaft,  he  seized  a  sledge  and  swinging  such  blows  as 
only  those  massive  shoulders  could  deliver,  it  was  soon 
loosened;  but  as  he  put  down  the  sledge  at  nine  o'clock  at 
night,  an  old  employee,  a  privileged  man,  who  happened  to 
be  an  Irishman,  said:  "  Now,  plaze,  Mr.  Fritz,  go  home. 
Sure  you  have  been  here  since  six  o'clock  this  morning.  Let 
the  boys  do  the  rest,  but  begob,  I  don't  know  why  I  should 
ask  it  of  you,  because  during  all  these  years  you  have  worked 
time  and  half-time."  (Applause.)  Looking  at  him  to- 
night, time  and  half-time  don't  seem  to  have  hurt,  and  I 
will  tell  you  why.  His  labor  has  always  been  on  straight 
lines,  no  matter  what  opposed,  no  matter  how  others  looked. 
He  has  had  his  troubles,  God  knows,  but  his  path  was  the 
straight  one,  and  he  hewed  it  on  those  lines  to  the  end. 
(Applause.)  Gentlemen,  I  think  one  of  the  greatest  com- 
pliments that  was  ever  paid  him,  and  he  has  been  the 
recipient  of  many,  as  you  know,  and  none  great  enough, 
was  the  fact  that  he  could  not  make  a  bad  thing.  His 
integrity  entered  into  the  products  of  his  establishment. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  303 

(Applause.)  Bethlehem  rails,  and  Bethlehem  billets,  of 
special  steel,  ranked  the  highest.  Commercial  conditions 
became  such  that  there  was  no  profit.  Well!  The  produc- 
tion of  rails  and  billets  ceased,  but  the  works  were  turned 
on  lines  where  perfection  of  result  was  all-important,  and 
so  you  had  introduced  into  America  the  manufacture  of 
armor  plate  and  of  ordnance.  He  could  not  make  the 
armor  so  perfect  but  what  he  could  make  the  ordnance  to 
knock  it  out,  and  they  had  a  great  time  getting  the  equi- 
librium. However,  here  I  say,  the  great  compliment  came 
when  John  W.  Gates  through  his  revenge  against  Andrew 
Carnegie  precipitated  the  discussion  in  the  Committee  of 
Congress  on  the  affairs  of  our  nation  as  to  whether  or  no  we 
were  paying  too  much  money  for  the  armor  for  our  ships. 
They  turned  to  Mr.  Fritz  to  give  them  the  figures  of  proper 
cost  of  production,  and  give  them  the  design  of  a  plant  if 
the  Government  desired  to  build  one  or  decided  to  build 
one,  and  the  cost  of  the  plant.  The  then  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  in  introducing  him  to  the  Congressional  Committee, 
said:  "  I  present  to  you  Mr.  John  Fritz,  the  most  honest 
man  I  have  ever  known."  (Applause.)  And  the  results 
of  Mr.  Fritz's  figures  and  their  confidence  in  them  saved  our 
nation  from  making  the  great  mistake  of  entering  into  that 
manufacture.  (Applause.) 

Gentlemen,  from  all  you  have  heard  to-night,  and  from 
all  we  know,  his  talents,  his  integrity,  have  conquered  the 
respect  of  the  world.  Years  ago  his  loving  kindness  and 
himself  made  him  the  crowned  king  of  our  hearts.  Long 
live  the  king!  (Applause.) 

THE  TOASTMASTER:  —  In  some  sense,  John  Fritz  belongs 
to  the  world.  That  you  have  heard  over  and  over  again 
to-night.  But  if  you  would  know  the  real  man,  if  you  would 
know  him  in  his  gentleness  and  in  his  strength,  if  you  would 
know  him  in  his  wisdom  and  in  his  sympathy,  you  must  go 


304  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

into  the  valley  where  he  lives,  and  amongst  the  neighbors 
who  dwell  around  him.  The  Valley  and  the  Neighbors 
will  be  spoken  for  to-night  by  one  of  Mr.  Fritz's  old  and 
trusted  friends,  Mr.  Oliver  Williams. 

SPEECH  OF  MR.  OLIVER  WILLIAMS. 

MR  WILLIAMS:  —  Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 
Seventy-five  years  ago  the  Lehigh  Valley  was  practically  an 
unknown  district.  At  the  upper  end  a  few  cranks  were 
endeavoring  to  persuade  their  neighbors  that  the  black 
stones  that  were  outcropping  all  around  them  could  be 
burned,  but  with  very  little  success.  Thirty  years  after- 
ward, by  the  course  of  evolution,  these  black  stones  became 
black  diamonds,  and  the  cranks  became  coal  operators. 
Twenty  years  later  through  the  same  evolution,  the  opera- 
tors became  coal  barons.  I  did  not  know  until  a  few  weeks 
ago  how  they  obtained  this  name,  and  it  was  only  when  I 
went  to  John  Markle,  Dr.  Wentz,  and  George  McCreary,  and 
half  a  dozen  more,  with  tears  in  my  eyes,  to  beg  for  a  carload 
of  coal  and  couldn't  get  it,  that  I  found  out  why  each  one 
of  them  was  called  a  coal  barren.  (Laughter  and  applause.) 
It  has  always  been  a  question  where  the  coal  measures 
ended  and  the  slate  measures  commenced.  John  Markle 
and  the  rest  of  them  say  that  the  slate  measures  appear 
round  about  Slatington.  My  wife  says  they  begin  up 
around  Hazleton,  judging  from  the  coal  bin  that  she  has  had 
filled  at  different  times.  (Laughter.)  The  slate  district 
of  the  valley  has  been  one  of  tremendous  importance  to  us. 
The  boom  in  slate  has  been  caused  largely  by  the  political 
bosses  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  adjoining  States.  Their 
demand  was  very  great.  There  has  been,  by  the  order  of 
wise  Providence,  another  measure  just  below  the  slate 
measure,  and  that  is  the  cement  measure,  made,  apparently, 
because  in  the  last  few  years  the  common  people  have 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  305 

smashed  so  many  of  these  slates  that  our  bosses  have  made 
for  us,  that  it  took  all  the  cement  that  was  in  that  region 
to  repair,  and  that  has  caused  a  boom  in  the  cement  in- 
dustry. (Laughter.)  Another  great  and  helpful  influence 
from  the  cement  industry  has  been  to  repair  the  fortunes 
of  the  poor  old  fellows  who  owned  that  ground  originally, 
and  could  not  make  a  living  from  it,  and  that  has  now 
enriched  so  many  of  the  people  of  that  district. 

Adjoining  the  cement  district  comes  the  iron  district.  I 
will  not  stop  at  this  late  hour  to  give  you  any  history  of  the 
wonderful  story  of  the  prosperity  of  the  iron  industry  in  the 
Lehigh  Valley  from  the  day  that  Father  Thomas  blew  in 
the  first  anthracite  furnace  in  '39  up  to  the  present  time  that 
these  later  furnaces  have  poured  out  their  iron  by  the  mil- 
lions of  tons.  It  is  about  forty  years  ago  that  John  Fritz 
invaded  that  valley.  He  came  from  the  rural  districts  and 
took  possession  of  our  land.  It  was  a  scene  of  bucolic  in- 
nocence when  he  came  there.  I  don't  think  I  am  preju- 
diced, but  with  determined  earnestness  I  want  to  tell  you 
that  the  people  of  that  Valley  —  and  it  is  a  great  thing  to  be 
known  as  the  Valley,  without  any  prefix  to  it  —  the  people 
of  that  district  were  distinguished  for  their  amiability,  their 
beauteous  persons,  their  courteous  manners,  their  dignity, 
their  earnestness,  their  firmness,  their  generosity,  their - 
well,  I  can  go  through  the  alphabet,  but  I  won't.  I  don't 
mean  to  say  that  all  the  people  had  all  these  virtues  com- 
bined in  them.  There  were  only  two  there,  really,  that 
had  all  these  virtues.  I  would  say  that  one  was  John 
Fritz,  only  I  have  to  go  back  and  live  with  him  for  the  next 
thirty  or  forty  years,  and  I  do  not  know  what  the  effect 
would  be  if  I  told  him  of  those  virtues  that  were  combined 
in  him. 

It  is  with  the  deepest  feeling  that  I  speak  to  you  to-night 
for  a  moment  of  the  love  and  esteem  in  which  we  hold  this 


306  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

man  in  the  Valley.  We  know  all  about  him.  We  can  say 
that  we  have  eaten  with  him,  we  have  drunk  with  him, 
we  have  slept  with  him,  and  we  have  gone  to  Pittsburg  with 
him.  (Laughter.)  I  could  a  tale  unfold,  but  I  won't. 
(Laughter.)  I  will  only  say  this,  —  that  our  feelings,  in 
reference  to  this  man,  can  only  be  expressed  by  a  darky 
story.  A  darky  wanted  to  get  a  divorce  from  his  wife. 
Going  to  Lawyer  Scott,  the  lawyer  asked  him  what  claim 
he  had  —  what  had  she  done.  What  were  his  reasons  for 
getting  a  divorce?  And  the  lawyer  heard  the  darky  sob- 
bing and  looking  up  he  saw  the  great  tears  running  down 
from  his  eyes.  He  said  to  him,  "  You  love  this  woman?  " 
"Love  her  —  love  her!  Why,  I  fairly  analyze  her." 
(Laughter.)  That  is  the  feeling  we  have  toward  John  Fritz. 

In  the  palmy  days  of  Venice  they  had  a  book  that  was 
called  the  Golden  Book,  and  in  that  book  were  written  the 
great  deeds  of  those  men  that  had  acted  worthily  toward  the 
Great  Republic.  The  Golden  Book  of  the  Lehigh  Valley  is 
the  hearts  of  the  neighbors  of  this  man,  and  first  and  fore- 
most in  their  hearts  is  written  the  name  of  John  Fritz. 
(Applause.) 

THE  TOASTMASTER:  —  A  very  few  years  ago  there  ap- 
peared upon  this  planet  a  set  of  men  who  now  threaten  to 
drive  us  all  out  of  business.  They  deal  with  a  body  of 
facts  of  which  we  who  have  gray  hair  know  almost  nothing. 
They  speak  a  language  to  which  we  listen  without  under- 
standing. They  are  changing  the  mechanic  arts  and  they 
are  changing  the  whole  face  of  society,  and  they  are  doing 
that  by  an  agency  which  they  themselves  cannot  explain 
or  define.  Of  course,  I  mean  the  electrical  engineers. 
The  Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers,  the  youngest  of  our 
engineering  societies  and  already  one  of  the  strongest,  is 
represented  here  to-night  by  a  pioneer  in  the  art,  one  of 
their  past  presidents,  —  Prof.  Elihu  Thomson.  (Applause.) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  307 

SPEECH  OF  PROF.   ELIHU  THOMSON. 

PROFESSOR  THOMSON:  — Mr.  Toastmaster,  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen:  It  is  certainly  a  great  pleasure  on  this  inspir- 
ing occasion  to  join  in  the  homage  to  our  honored  guest, 
John  Fritz.  We  represent,  as  your  toastmaster  has  said, 
the  youngest  growth  or  development  in  engineering.  One 
of  the  speakers  preceding  me  said  that  America  leads  the 
world  in  certain  directions.  In  what  direction  did  America 
lead  the  world  first?  Why,  in  electrical  work,  in  electrical 
engineering.  These  successes  that  have  followed  were  the 
natural  outgrowth  of  the  grand  development  that  was  going 
on  among  our  industries.  The  American  electrical  engineer 
can,  however,  say  that  he  set  the  pace  for  the  world,  by 
Franklin,  earlier  than  the  others.  He  is,  I  hope,  to  be  able 
to  continue  setting  that  pace.  It  certainly  will  remain  with 
us  electrical  engineers  to  keep  up  the  progress,  and  the 
advancement  which  has  been  so  rapid  in  the  past  twenty 
years.  When  this  electrical  engineering  industry  first  be- 
gan, our  honored  guest,  John  Fritz,  the  man  for  whom  we 
are  gathered  here  to  show  our  respect  and  admiration,  was 
an  old  man,  relatively  speaking.  Less  than  twenty  years 
ago,  electrical  engineering  did  not  exist.  Not  much  more 
than  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  ago  (I  think  that  is  the 
time) ,  a  band  of  a  few  enthusiasts,  as  they  might  be  called, 
gathered  together  and  called  themselves  the  American 
Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers.  As  the  art  grew,  the 
Institute  grew.  It  has  kept  pace  with  that  enormous 
growth  and  development  which  now  keeps  us  all  so  busy. 
And  what  is  that  enormous  growth  based  upon?  Why,  it 
leads  back  to  the  ironmaster.  .  .  . 

We  have,  in  the  short  time  of  the  life  of  this  American 
Institute  which  I  have  the  honor  to  represent,  revolutionized 
lighting,  we  have  revolutionized  power,  we  have  revolu- 


308  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

tionized  the  chemical  industries  to  a  large  extent,  and  are 
bound  to  revolutionize  metallurgy  much  more  than  has  yet 
been  done.  We  can  almost  see  our  way  clear  to  the  giving 
a  candle  power  of  light  for  say  a  quarter  of  a  watt,  or  1500 
candle  power  to  a  horse  power  perhaps  —  not  the  2000 
candle-power  arc  light  that  you  have  all  heard  of,  that  only 
measures  three  or  four  or  five  hundred  actually,  but  1500 
real  candle  power.  We  have  given  you  not  only  one  kind 
of  light,  but  half  a  dozen  different  kinds  of  light,  and  those 
half-dozen  different  kinds  of  light  having  their  own  special 
field. 

We  have  in  these  few  years  revolutionized  the  street-rail- 
way systems  and  we  are  bound  to  revolutionize  in  time  those 
great  systems  that  extend  over  the  country  for  hundreds 
and  hundreds  of  miles.  From  the  electric  furnace  we  have 
produced  the  best  abrasives,  the  hardest  substances,  and 
we  have  even  produced  the  diamond.  At  the  same  time  we 
have  some  furnaces  that  have  produced  not  the  grittiest 
and  hardest  of  substances,  but  almost  the  softest  of  solids, 
which  will  flow  under  pressure  like  liquid, —  an  artificial 
graphite.  We  have  given  you  aluminum,  the  lightest  of 
metals,  with  alloys  which  make  it  almost  as  common  as 
brass  and  cheaper  bulk  for  bulk.  There  is  even  a  promise 
that  we  may  be  able  to  attack  on  a  commercial  scale  the 
elements  of  the  atmosphere,  nitrogen  and  oxygen,  and  unite 
them  commercially  and  produce  nitrates  for  use  in  the 
fertilization  of  lands.  (Applause.) 

Now  we  are,  as  it  were,  on  the  threshold  of  this  develop- 
ment. Within  a  few  years  we  have  had  a  most  surprising 
development  in  the  way  of  transmission  of  signals  for  long 
distances.  The  telephone  itself  was  wonderful  enough, —  a 
little  piece  of  sheet  metal  in  front  of  a  magnet  with  a  coil  on 
it  through  which  you  could  talk  over  enormous  distances  — 
but  we  have,  as  it  were,  seized  upon  the  whole  ether  sur- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  309 

rounding  the  world;  we  have  seized  upon  an  atmosphere,  not 
of  air,  but  of  that  something  which  is  within  air  and  which 
fills  all  space,  and  made  it  the  means  of  communication. 

In  closing,  I  would  say  I  know  I  voice  the  sentiments 
of  every  one  of  the  body  of  American  Electrical  Engineers 
in  doing  honor  —  I  stand  as  the  representative  of  each  and 
every  one  of  them  in  doing  honor  to  the  guest,  John  Fritz, 
this  evening.  (Applause.) 

THE  TOASTMASTER:  —  Bob  Hunt  has  told  us  of  the  fame 
of  Bethlehem  rails  and  billets  and  armor  plate  and  castings; 
but  to  my  mind  the  greatest  product  of  Bethlehem  is  men. 
Bethlehem  men  were  bred  under  John  Fritz,  and  under 
him  they  learned  not  only  their  business  as  engineers,  but 
they  learned  those  things  which  lie  at  the  very  foundation 
of  society:  they  learned  thoroughness  and  justice  and 
loyalty  and  fidelity  and  devotion  to  duty,  and  wherever 
they  went  out,  to  carry  Fritz's  ideas  over  the  country. 
The  gentleman  who  will  speak  to-night  of  John  Fritz's  old 
boys  is  one  of  those  old  boys,  and  he  carried  Fritz's  ideas 
into  the  building  up  of  the  New  South.  He  is  not  only  an 
engineer,  but  a  business  man;  he  is  not  only  a  politician, 
but  a  patriotic  citizen;  and  I  take  uncommon  pleasure  in 
introducing  to  you  Mr.  Daniel  A.  Tompkins,  of  Charlotte, 
N.  C. 

SPEECH  OF  MR.  DANIEL  A.  TOMPKINS. 

MR.  TOMPKINS  :  —  Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentle- 
men: I  am  handicapped  with  being  a  provincial  before  a 
metropolitan  audience,  and  perhaps  an  overfed  and  sleepy 
metropolitan  audience.  I  am  handicapped  in  many  respects 
because  I  came  here  with  a  speech  prepared  to  tell  how  well 
educated  a  man  John  Fritz  was,  and  Abram  Hewitt's  letter 
and  Mr.  Fritz's  speech  knocked  that  speech  of  mine  into  a 
cocked  hat.  Mr.  Hewitt  said  he  was  not  educated  at  all. 


310  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

If  I  had  not  had  time  to  reflect,  I  would  not  be  persuaded 
that  Mr.  Fritz  said  he  started  this  life  with  a  scant  educa- 
tion. What  did  we  all  do?  (Laughter.) 

About  two  months  ago  I  happened  to  be  in  this  city  and 
I  learned  that  there  were  two  ladies  here  from  the  South. 
Their  people  were  good  friends  of  mine  and  I  invited  them 
to  dinner.  Going  through  the  lobby  of  this  hotel  down- 
stairs we  came  upon  the  distinguished  gentleman  who  is 
the  guest  of  honor  at  this  feast.  I  stopped  to  speak  with 
him,  and  he  was  cordial,  as  he  always  is  to  his  friends. 
Leaving  him  to  rejoin  the  ladies,  one  of  them  asked:  "  Who 
is  your  very  rich  friend?  "  (Laughter.)  "  Why,"  I  said, 
"  I  never  thought  about  him  as  being  a  rich  man  before  in 
my  life.  I  think  he  is  pretty  well  fixed,  even  as  modern 
riches  go.  But  what  made  you  think  he  is  rich?  "  "  Well," 
she  said,  "  that  beautiful  smile  that  he  has  and  that  very 
cordial  manner  he  has  —  I  think  it  is  just  exactly  what  I 
would  have  if  I  was  worth  about  fifty  millions  of  dollars." 
(Applause.)  I  said,  "  That  benignant  smile  and  cordial 
manner  do  not  come  from  his  money,  but  they  come  from 
what  he  did."  One  of  them  said,  "  What  has  he  done? 
Tell  us  about  what  he  has  done!  "  I  said,  "  He  has  ad- 
vanced the  material  development  of  this  country.  He  has 
improved  the  processes  of  steel  and  iron  manufacture  until 
these  in  America  surpass  what  is  to  be  found  in  any  other 
part  of  the  world.  He  has  improved  the  manufacture  of 
ordnance  forgings  and  armor  plates  until  the  chances  of 
war  are  materially  decreased,  and  then  he  and  I  built  the 
Bethlehem  Iron  Works."  (Laughter.)  Well,  this  lady 
looked  rather  quizzically  out  of  the  corners  of  her  eyes  and 
said:  "How  much  did  he  build,  and  how  much  did  you 
build?  "  (Laughter.)  "  Well,"  I  said,  "  I  see  your  in- 
nuendo; I  see  you  are  suspicious.  Come  back  and  I  will 
prove  by  the  gentleman  himself  that  what  I  said  is  all 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  311 

right."  We  went  back  and  I  introduced  these  young 
ladies  and  told  him  the  claim  that  I  had  set  up  that  he  and 
I  had  built  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Works,  but  I  said:  "  Before 
you  commit  yourself,  I  want  to  tell  about  a  little  incident. 
There  was  a  town  we  will  call  Duttersfield.  It  was  owned 
absolutely  by  a  nobleman  and  a  Quaker.  The  nobleman 
owned  every  house  in  town  except  one  and  the  Quaker 
owned  that  one.  The  nobleman  had  often  endeavored  to 
buy  the  Quaker  out  and  the  Quaker  would  not  sell.  One 
day  they  met  at  a  little  alehouse,  and  after  a  glass  or  two 
of  ale,  the  nobleman  said:  "  Now,  look  here,  James,  I  have 
offered  you  four  times  what  that  old  house  of  yours  is  worth. 
I  don't  care  anything  about  buying  it;  I  don't  want  to  press 
the  sale  on  you.  But  you  Quakers  profess  to  be  particu- 
larly honest,  and  I  want  you  to  tell  me  now  the  reason  why 
you  do  not  want  to  sell  —  just  as  a  matter  of  curiosity." 
And  the  Quaker  said,  "  WeU,  John,  if  I  tell  thee  honest,  I 
suppose  it  is  because  I  could  no  longer  say  that  thee  and  I 
own  the  whole  town  of  Duttersfield."  (Laughter.)  Then 
Mr.  Fritz  sat  down  and  said,  "  As  long  as  you  tell  that 
story,  you  are  my  partner  in  Bethlehem."  (Laughter.)  I 
thought  I  was  all  right  with  the  ladies,  when  he  added: 
"  There's  about  five  thousand  other  fellows  that's  got 
exactly  just  the  same  right  to  claim  to  be  partners  in  the 
Bethlehem  works  as  Dan  Tompkins  has."  Well,  that 
knocked  me  into  a  cocked  hat,  you  know.  That  gives  me  a 
text,  —  a  text  that  fits  the  occasion.  Five  thousand  people 
sent  out  from  the  Bethlehem  Iron  Works  to  undertake  the 
industrial  development  of  this  country!  I  leave  out  myself 
and  make  it  4,999.  (Laughter.)  I  do  not  believe  that  the 
very  greatest  works  of  Mr.  John  Fritz  have  been  in  the 
improvement  of  the  iron  and  the  steel  industry.  I  do  not 
believe  that  his  greatest  work  has  been  accomplished  when 
he  has  been  called  into  counsel  by  kings  and  emperors  and 


312  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

foreign  countries,  to  tell  them  what  to  do.  I  do  not  believe 
that  his  greatest  work  has  been  in  constructing  the  Bethle- 
hem Iron  Works,  but  rather  in  training  those  4,999  fellows 
to  go  out  and  preach  his  creed  of  thrift,  economy,  industry, 
and  financial  integrity  and  industrial  courage  throughout 
these  United  States,  and  to  make  the  wheels  turn,  and  to 
establish  pay  rolls  for  the  benefit  of  the  population  from  the 
St.  Lawrence  to  the  Rio  Grande.  (Applause.) 

Now,  I  will  tell  you  another  thing,  and  I  am  going  to  say 
something  disagreeable  to  the  audience,  but  not  to  him.  I 
believe  he  will  back  me  up.  You  have  been  praising  him 
too  much.  He  did  not  do  everything  you  said  he  did. 
There  is  somebody  at  the  other  end  of  this  hall  that  is 
entitled  to  half  the  praise.  (Applause.)  I  have  known 
many  a  woman  who  could  have  kept  him  from  doing  any- 
thing. (Applause.)  I  make  my  obeisance  to  Mrs.  Fritz, 
and  I  say  that  the  fruits  of  her  work  are  here  before  you. 
(Applause.)  I  asked  Mrs.  Fritz's  brother  how  long  Mr. 
Fritz  had  been  called  the  old  man,  and  he  said:  "  I  don't 
know.  He  was  about  twenty-five  years  old  when  he  came 
courting  around  our  house,  and  he  was  the  old  man  then." 
(Laughter.)  His  life  and  its  development  have  been  parallel 
with  the  development  of  the  profession  of  engineering,  and 
that  profession  of  engineering  from  the  time  of  George 
Washington  down  to  the  present  time  has  been  enlarging, 
broadening,  and  widening  itself  all  the  time  until  it  has  come 
to  comprise  almost  every  one  of  the  arts  and  sciences  that 
are  known.  I  make  my  obeisance  to  the  gentleman  whom 
I  honor  above  all  others  in  the  engineering  profession.  I 
stand  always  uncovered  in  his  presence.  I  wish  him  a  long 
and  a  happy  life,  and  that  the  rest  of  his  life  may  fulfill  all 
the  conditions  that  Mr.  Abram  S.  Hewitt  stipulated  in  his 
letter,  and  being  yet  a  young  man,  that  is  a  great  big  wish. 
(Applause.) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  313 

THE  TOASTMASTER:  —  It  is  too  bad  to  break  up  this 
beautiful  occasion,  but  I  am  afraid  we  will  have  to  do  it. 
Mr.  Fritz  asks  me  to  express  his  thanks  to  you  for  your 
attendance,  and  to  express  to  the  speakers  his  thanks  for 
the  many  graceful  things  that  they  have  said  about  him, 
and  we  will  part  with  one  toast  which  needs  no  spokesman: 
"  Mrs.  Fritz  and  the  ladies,  God  bless  them  all." 

THE  BANQUET  AS  SEEN  BY  ONE  IN  THE  GALLERY. 

That  unique  caravansary,  the  incomparable  Waldorf- 
Astoria,  never  opened  its  spacious  gates  to,  or  harbored 
within  its  walls,  a  more  intelligent  and  all-round  refined 
and  high-toned  company  than  graced  and  dignified  its 
halls  on  the  auspicious  thirty-first  day  of  October,  1902. 
They  numbered  by  the  hundreds  and  had  come  from  the 
East  and  from  the  West,  from  the  North  and  from  the 
South,  neither  for  business  nor  profit,  enticed  by  no  self- 
interest;  theirs  was  an  errand  of  pure  pleasure,  not,  as 
vulgarly  understood,  in  "  tripping  the  light  fantastic  toe 
through  the  mazes  of  the  dizzy  dance,"  not  to  burn  incense 
at  the  shrines  of  wealth,  not  to  worship  at  the  feet  of 
beauty,  not  to  pour  libations  in  the  welcome  of  some  con- 
quering hero,  or  sacrifice  hecatombs  to  celebrate  the  victory 
of  some  political  chief,  but  simply  to  honor  a  modest 
friend,  a  good  man  "  eighty  years  young,"  whom  they 
loved,  and  whom  they  long  since  affectionately  christened, 
"  Unser  Fritz." 

At  the  appointed  hour  this  distinguished  company,  600 
strong,  was  thronging  the  elegant  and  brilliantly  illuminated 
lobby  of  the  Banqueting  Hall,  doing  homage  and  offering 
hearty  congratulations  to  the  hero  and  the  heroine  of  the 
hour;  for,  as  in  all  well-organized  and  desirable  assem- 
blages, this  was  not  for  men  alone.  As  the  best  work  since 
time  immemorial  has  been  accomplished  by  the  united 


314  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

efforts  and  cooperation  of  good  men  and  women,  so  should 
all  happy  results  be  shared  and  enjoyed  by  both.    But, 

"  All  human  history  attests 
That  happiness'for  man,  the  hungry  sinner, 
Since  Eve  ate  the  apples,  much  depends  on  dinner!  " 

The  banquet  came  next  in  order.  At  the  entrance  to  the 
theater  of  action,  the  ladies,  being  invited  "to  go  up 
higher ,"  ascended  into'  the  regions  of  music,  softer  light, 
and  purer  air,  to  the  "  Angels'  Gallery,"  the  men  filling  the 
space  only  a  little  lower  than  the  angels.  Why  attempt  to 
describe  the  magic  scene  that  greeted  our  eyes  after  reach- 
ing the  hemicycle  allotted  us  for  observation!  It  should 
have  been  painted  then  and  there  with  the  colors  fresh  on 
the  palette,  under  the  enchanting  spell  of  the  moment,  in 
the  warm  glow  of  the  lights,  the  exhilarating  music,  the 
presence  of  friends,  and  the  inspiration  of  the  spirit  afloat 
in  the  genial  atmosphere.  Though  time  brings  in  quick 
succession  its  varied  seasonable  festive  functions,  it  can 
never  dim  from  memory  the  bright  and  beautiful  vision 
of  that  delightful  night.  What  with  the  inviting  groups  of 
cosy  small  round  tables,  the  dazzling  linen,  the  shining  silver, 
and  glittering  crystal;  the  myriads  of  pink-shaded  lamps 
diffusing  their  soft  rosy  glow,  the  bountiful  decorations  of 
gorgeous  chrysanthemums,  and  the  fine  models  of  steel- 
making  processes,  the  setting  of  the  picture  was  perfect, 
both  in  itself  and  in  pleasing  relief  to  the  somber  and 
monotonous  regulation  costume  of  the  guests  it  enframed. 
What  a  whimsical  fashion  that  of  the  guest's  dress  suit, 
so  nearly  resembling  the  livery  of  the  garcon!  An  old 
itinerant  preacher  illustrating  his  discourse  with  panoramic 
views,  called  the  attention  of  his  audience  to  the  picture 
of  Daniel  in  the  lions'  den,  adding:  "  My  friends,  you  will 
easily  distinguish  Daniel  from  the  lions,  as  the  former 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  315 

carries  a  blue  cotton  umbrella  under  his  arm."  The 
characteristic  distinction  of  the  guests  this  night,  though 
not  so  original,  was  even  more  effective, —  a  pure  white 
chrysanthemum,  en  boutonniere. 

A  brilliant  overture  by  the  band  and  the  introduction  of 
oysters  upon  the  scene  opened  the  first  act  of  the  epicurean 
melodrama.  A  full  corps  of  modern  Ganymedes  began  to 
play  their  inspiriting  part,  other  ministering  spirits  appear- 
ing and  disappearing,  bearing  in  turn  green  turtle  soup, 
olives,  almonds,  celery,  radishes,  filet  de  sole  with  cucumber 
salad,  then  appetizing  sweetbreads  with  Parisian  potatoes, 
followed  by  lamb  flanked  with  French  peas  as  piece  de 
resistance.  All  tantalizingly  near  and  aggravatingly  far. 
Feeding  time  in  a  menagerie  is  under  certain  circumstances 
amusing  and  entertaining,  but  who  has  not  observed  the 
unrest  of  the  smaller  animals  looking  on  the  greater  devour- 
ing their  lion's  share?  A  cat  looking  at  a  king  can  scarcely 
find  in  the  privilege  the  satisfaction  of  interviewing  a  mouse. 
To  beguile  the  fancy  and  help  while  away  the  tedium  of 
hope  long  deferred  and  great  expectations,  exquisite  sou- 
venir programs  of  the  entertainment,  genuine  works  of  art 
and  triumphs  of  engineering  skill,  had  been  thoughtfully 
distributed  among  the  feminine  denizens  of  the  upper  re- 
gions; but  the  dainty  and  artistically  devised  French  menu 
only  emphasized  the  fact  and  added  to  the  regret  that  on 
this  spicy  occasion,  what  was  sauce  for  the  gander  should 
not  be  sauce  for  the  goose.  One  of  the  most  exquisitely 
cruel  modes  of  torture  during  the  Dark  Ages  was  by  starva- 
tion, the  helpless  victims  bound  in  narrow  cells  in  full  view 
of  the  inquisitor's  kitchens,  being  forced  witnesses  of  all 
the  culinary  operations  and  preparations  in  the  result  of 
which  they  had  no  share.  History  but  repeats  itself. 
When  the  promised  "  light  refreshments "  reached  the 
altitude  of  the  mouth-watering  spectators,  however,  they 


316  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

had  been  fit  for  the  gods,  and  on  Olympus  had  served  as 
nectar  and  ambrosia. 

During  these  digressions  above,  things  were  progressing 
in  regular  courses  below,  fish  and  flesh  had  been  duly  dis- 
posed of  with  accessories  galore,  and  as  entre-acte,  specimen 
sections  of  a  new  kind  of  T-rail,  skillfully  contrived  to 
answer  the  double  purpose  of  sherbet  cups,  had  been  pre- 
sented to  the  banqueters  as  souvenirs  of  the  Fritz  Festival. 
The  irrepressible  punster  naturally  pronouncing  the  sorbet 
U  V orange  "  raal  good."  The  band  in  the  meantime  en- 
livened the  swiftly  passing  hours  with  its  gayest  notes. 
Years  ago,  at  a  popular  biblical  panoramic  exhibition,  each 
scene  was  ushered  in  by  an  organ  accompaniment  explana- 
tory or  prophetic.  Thus,  as  the  return  of  the  Prodigal 
Son  unrolled  before  the  audience,  the  music  struck  up, 
"  When  Johnny  comes  marching  home  again,"  and  Christ 
stood  stilling  the  tempest  to  the  tune  of  "  A  home  on  the 
ocean  wave,  a  bark  on  the  rolling  deep."  In  the  absence 
of  a  music  program  and  unfamiliar  with  the  repertory  of 
the  modern  dinner-band,  we  infer  that  the  selections  were 
up-to-date,  and  can  certify  to  the  suitableness  of  "  For  he 
is  a  jolly  good  fellow,"  and  "  We  won't  go  home  till  morn- 
ing," as  well  as  the  reasonableness  of  the  final  "  Good-by, 
ladies,  we're  going  to  leave  you  now." 

But  the  end  had  not  yet  come.  Roasted  squabs  and 
salad  were  next  in  order,  followed  by  the  delicacies  of  the 
daintiest  of  desserts,  fancy  ices,  various  cakes  and  sweets, 
luscious  fruit,  cheese  and  coffee,  that  subtle  beverage, 
medium  between  the  material  and  spiritual  life  of  man, 
introducing  as  grand  finale  the  happiest  idea  and  greatest 
surprise  of  this  surprising  spread.  There  entered,  to  the 
liveliest  notes  of  the  band,  a  long  procession  of  the  entire 
force  of  the  waiting  corps,  marching  and  countermarching 
through  the  intricacies  of  the  array  of  tables,  parading 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  317 

before  the  "  beloved  John  "  and  his  friends  huge  candied 
representations  of  some  of  the  striking  results  of  the  steel 
industry,  which,  but  for  the  work  of  the  great  and  venera- 
ble chief,  had  scarcely  existed.  The  modern  steel  building 
was  exemplified  by  a  beautiful  model  of  the  greatest  sky- 
scraping  "  Flat  Iron  "  in  the  world,  borne  aloft  in  the  arms 
of  the  head  of  the  cortege.  Then  followed  miniature  fac- 
similes of  the  latest  steel  bridge,  the  steel-clad  battleship 
Oregon,  of  the  biggest  steam  and  electrical  engines  built, 
and  of  the  very  latest  type  of  American  disappearing  siege 
guns,  such  as  are  now  being  mounted  along  our  Atlantic 
coast,  beside  which  stood  some  toy  cannon  balls.  Then 
followed  still  other  mechanical  designs,  intended  to  em- 
phasize the  triumph  of  the  steel  industry  which  John  Fritz 
has  done  so  much  to  create. 

And  now  for  the  feast  of  reason  and  flow  of  soul,  since 
"  man  should  not  live  by  bread  alone."  Behind  an  antique- 
looking  tribune,  built  on  a  slightly  elevated  platform  over- 
looking the  joyous  multitude,  sat  "  Uncle  John  "  in  the 
midst  of  the  orators  of  the  night,  their  noble  and  friendly 
faces  framed  in  by  banks  of  ferns  and  flowers,  against  a 
background  of  the  three  colors  we  love  the  best,  broken 
midway  by  mysteriously  closed  curtains,  at  the  parting  of 
which  we  had  expected  some  hand  to  trace  writings  upon 
the  wall,  in  letters  of  steel  and  words  of  heaven's  fire, 

"  An  honest  man,  the  noblest  work  of  God  "; 

but  when  the  curtains  opened,  it  was  to  introduce  the  inter- 
esting ceremony  of  the  medal  presentation  of  which  the 
"  Honest  Man  "  was  the  first  recipient.  Then  followed  the 
reading  of  a  nobfe  epistle  from  Hon.  Abram  S.  Hewitt.  One 
of  the  veterans  of  the  art,  detained  by  the  infirmities  of  ad- 
vancing age,  he  penned  his  message  full  of  wisdom  and  good 
cheer,  to  which  the  house  responded  with  heartfelt  and  en- 


3l8  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 

thusiastic  applause.  The  Navy  was  represented  by  Rear- 
Admiral  George  W.  Melville,  one  of  the  best  and  bravest 
of  the  nation's  heroes,  whose  exploits  and  achievements  in 
the  Lena  Delta  astonished  the  world.  Then  congratula- 
tory messages  were  read,  coming  "  from  the  four  corners  of 
the  round  world."  Then  the  Army  was  responded  to  by 
General  Griffin,  and  able  speeches  generously  savored  with 
Attic  salt  were  enjoyed  from  representatives  of  the  four 
great  American  Societies  and  Institutes  of  Civil,  Mining, 
Mechanical,  and  Electrical  Engineers.  The  facetious  man- 
ufacturer of  "  lucky  omens  "  from  up-country  discoursed  on 
the  Lehigh  Valley  and  its  neighbors,  and  last,  but  not  least, 
one  of  Uncle  John's  boys  dwelt  on  the  days  of  his  brother 
old-boys  in  a  speech  redundant  with  wit  and  humor.  And 
when  the  last  good-by  was  spoken  to  the  warm  pressure 
of  the  hand,  all  went  on  their  various  ways,  feeling  it  had 
been  good  to  be  there. 

The  event  was  a  rare  success  from  beginning  to  end; 
thanks  to  the  ingenuity,  good  taste,  and  appreciative  realiza- 
tion of  the  eternal  fitness  of  things  on  the  part  of  the  various 
committees.  Kindness  and  good-will  had  conceived  the 
idea,  talented  ability  had  carried  it  out,  the  well-earned 
laurels  of  a  truly  good  and  great  man  had  been  scattered 
along  his  upward  path  to  the  land  of  all  possibilities,  while 
yet  he  might  gather  them  up,  see  the  friend's  face,  and 
press  the  kindly  hand  who  brought  them.  No  post-mortem 
eulogiums,  no  flower-decked  tomb  could  so  well  keep  fresh 
the  memory  of  one  whom  his  fellow  men  loved  to  honor, 
while  yet  he  trod  the  ways  of  life  with  them. 

J.  B.  T. 


LIST  OF   SUBSCRIBERS. 


ACHESON,  EDWARD  G. 
ADAMS,  JOSEPH  W. 
ADAMS,  W.  H. 
AEBY,  A.  E. 
AGASSIZ,  A. 
ALLISON,  J.  WESLEY. 
ALLISON,  ROBERT. 
ARCHER,  EDWARD  R. 
ARNOLD,  B.  J. 
ATHA,  BENJAMIN. 

BABBITT,  SEWARD. 
BACHMAN,  F.  E. 
BAILEY,  JAS.  B. 
BAILEY,  W.  H. 
BAKER,  CHAS.  W. 
BAKER,  IRA  O. 
BALDWIN,  STEPHEN  W. 
BALL,  FRANK  H. 
BANCROFT,  J.   S. 
BARRUS,  GEO.  H. 
BARTLETT,  E.  E. 
BATCHELER,  CHAS. 
BAYLES,  J.  C. 
BELL,  C.  LOWTHIAN. 
BELL,  HUGH. 
BELL,  SIR  I.  LOWTHIAN. 
BEMENT,  CLARENCE  S. 
BENSEL,  JOHN  A. 
BERG,  P.  T. 
BILLINGS,  CHAS.  E. 
BIRKINBINE,  JOHN. 
BLAUVELT,  WM.  H. 
BOGART,  JOHN. 
BOLLER,  ALFRED  P. 
BOND,  GEO.  M. 


BONZANO,  ADOLPHUS. 
BORIE,  A.  E. 
BOUSCAREN,  L.  F.  G. 
BRAINE,  L.  F. 
BRASHEAR,  JOHN  A. 
BREITHRUPT,  WM.  H. 
BREUCHAUD,  J. 
BRINCHERHOFF,  H.  W. 
BRODHEAD,  ALBERT. 
BROOKE,  GEO. 
BROOKER,  CHAS.  F. 
BROOKS,  JAMES  C. 
BROWN,  ALEX.  E. 
BROWN,  HARVEY  H. 
BRUNNER,  C.  O. 
BUCK,  LEFFERTS  L. 
BUCK,  RICHARD  S. 
BUCKHOLZ,  CARL  W. 
BUCKINGHAM,  CHAS.  L. 
BULLARD,   EDWARD   P. 
BURDEN,  JAMES  A. 
BURNHAM,  WM. 
BURR,  F.  A. 
BURR,  WM.  H. 
BURROWS,  GEO.  L. 
BUSHNELL,  JOS.,  Jr. 

CAMPBELL,  HENRY  H. 
CARNEGI-E,  ANDREW. 
CARRINGTON,  H.  H.  SMITH. 
CARTWRIGHT,  ROBERT. 
CATHCART,  PROF.  W.  L. 
CHANDLER,  GEO.  A. 
CHANUTE,  OCTAVE. 
CHAPMAN,  F.  H. 


320 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 


CHRISTIE,  JAMES. 
CHRYSTIE,  PERCIVAL. 
CODMAN,  E.  D. 
COFFIN,  C.  A. 
COGSWELL,  WM.  B. 
COLLINGWOOD,  FRANCIS. 
CONLEY,  O.  J. 
CONVERSE,  JOHN  H. 
COOPER,  ARTHUR. 
COOPER,  EDWARD. 
COPE,  GEO.  W. 
COREY,  W.  E. 
CORTHELL,  E.  L. 
CRAMP,  EDWIN  S. 
CRESSON,  GEO.  V. 
CROCKER,  GEO.  A. 
CROES,  J.  J.  R. 
CROWELL,  JAMES  FOSTER. 
CUMMINGS,  CHAS.  H. 
CUNNINGHAM,  A.  C. 
CURTIS,  FAYETTE  S. 

DANIELS,  F.  H. 
DAVENPORT,  R.  W. 
DAVIS,  CHAS.  H. 
DAVIS,  H.  C. 
DAY,  GEO.  H. 
DE  CAMP,  W.  S. 
DELANO,  WARREN,  Jr. 
DENTON,  JAS.  E. 
DERBYSHIRE,  W.  H. 
DEYO,  S.  L.  F. 
DICKIE,  GEORGE  W. 
DODGE,  JAMES  MAPES. 
DODSON,  CHAS.  M. 
DODSON,  T.  M. 
DOSTER,  GEN.  W.  E. 
DOUGLAS,  JAMES. 
DREDGE,  JAMES. 
DROWN,  THOMAS  M. 
DUDLEY,  CHAS.  B. 
DUNCAN,  LOUIS. 
DUNN,  GANO  S. 
DWIGHT,  THEO. 


EAMES,  HAYDEN. 
EDISON,  THOS.  A. 
ELLARD,  J.  W. 
ELY,  SUMNER  A. 
ELY,  THEO.  N. 
EMMET,  W.  L. 
ENTWISTLE,  JAMES. 
EVANS,  DAVID. 
EVEREST,  CHAS.  M. 

FACKENTHAL,  B.  F.,  Jr. 
FELTON,  EDGAR  C. 
FELTON,  SAMUEL  M. 
FINDLEY,  A.  I. 
FIRMSTONE,  FRANK. 
FISHER,  CLARK. 
FLETCHER,  ANDREW. 
FLETCHER,  ANDREW,  Jr. 
FLETCHER,  WM.  H. 
FOLGER,  WM.  M. 
FORD,  E.  L. 
FORSYTH,  ROBERT. 
FRANCIS,  LEWIS  W. 
FRASER,  GRAHAM. 
FRAZER,  P. 
FREEMAN,  JOHN  R. 
FRICK,  H.  C. 
FROSTZ,  J.  S. 
FULLER,  E.  L. 
FULLER,  J.  W. 

GARRETT,  WM. 
GASTON,  WALTER. 
GAYLEY,  JAMES. 
GAYLEY,  O.  C. 
GIBBS,  GEORGE. 
GOBEILLE,  J.  L. 
GORHAM,  A.  G. 
GRAMMER,  F.  L. 
GREEN,  BERNARD  R. 
GREENE,  GEO.  S.,  Jr. 
GREINER,  ADOLPH. 
GRIFFIN,  GENL.  EUGENE. 
GROVER,  LEWIS  C. 


LIST  OF  SUBSCRIBERS 


321 


HADFIELD,  R.  A. 
HAGMAN,  W.  J. 
HAINES,  COL.  H.  S. 
HALL,  JOHN  M. 
HALLIDAY,  MERIT. 
HALSEY,  F.  A. 
HAMILTON,  GEO.  A. 
HARDLEY,  J.  WHEELER. 
HARKNESS,  WM. 
HART,  EDWARD. 
HARTMAN,  JOHN  M. 
HARTSHORNS,  JOSEPH. 
HARVEY,  HON.  E. 
HAWKS,  JAS.  D. 
HEAD,  ARCHIBALD  P. 
HEARNE,  F.  J. 
HENNING,  GUSTAVUS  C. 
HENSHAW,  F.  V. 
HENSZEY,  WM.  P. 
HERING,  RUDOLPH. 
HERR,  EDWIN  M. 
HERZOG,  F.  B. 
HEWITT,  ABRAM  S. 
HEWITT,  CHAS.  E. 
HIBBARD,  HENRY  D. 
HIGGINS,  MILTON  P. 
HOLLIS,  H.  L. 
HOLLOWAY,  J.  F., 

In  Memoriam  by 
HOLLOWAY,  MRS.  ANNA  C. 
HORN,  CHAS.  R. 
HOUGH,  DAVID  L. 
HOWE,  FRANK  P. 
HOWE,  HENRY  M. 
HULICK,  WM.  H. 
HULST,  NELSON  P. 
HUMPHREY,  GEO.  S. 
HUMPHREYS,  ALEX.  C. 
HUNGERFORD,  WM.  S. 
HUNT,  CHAS.  WALLACE. 
HUNT,  CHAS.  WARREN. 
HUNT,  ROBERT  W. 
HUSTON,  CHAS.  L. 


HUTCHINSON,  DR.  C.  T. 
HUTTON,  F.  R. 

INGHAM,  WM.  A. 

JACOBUS,  D.  S. 
JAQUES,  WM.  H. 
JARVIS,  CHAS.  M. 
JENNINGS,  ROBT.  E. 
JOHNSON,  EDWARD. 
JOHNSON,  JOSEPH  E. 
JOHNSTON,  ARCHIBALD. 
JOHNSTON,  J.  FRANK. 
JOHNSTON,  W.  J 
JONES,  B.  F. 
JONES,  B.  F.,  Jr. 
JONES,  E.  H. 
JONES,  WASHINGTON. 
JONES,  WM.  R.,  j 

In  Memoriam  by 
HARTMAN,  JOHN  M.  > 
JUST,  GEO.  A. 

KAFER,  JOHN  C. 
KEEFER,  THOS.  C. 
KEEN,  ARTHUR. 
KELLY,  EDWARD. 
KEMMERER,  M.  S. 
KENNEDY,  HUGH. 
KENNEDY,  JULIAN. 
KENT,  ELLIS. 
KENT,  JOSEPH  C. 
KENT,  WILLIAM. 
KERR,  WALTER  C. 
KEYSER,  WM. 
KIDDLE,  ALFRED  W. 
KIRBY,  FRANK  E. 
KIRCHHOFF,  CHAS. 
KNAP,  JOS.  M. 
KNIGHT,  FLETCHER  H. 
KRAFT,  JOHN. 
KUICHLING,  EMIL. 
KUNHARDT,  W.  B. 


322 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 


LANGE,  PHILIP  A. 
LASH,  HORACE  W. 
LAUREAU,  L.  G. 
LEAVITT,  ERASMUS  D. 
LEIBERT,  JOHN. 
LEIBERT,  OWEN  F. 
LEWINSON,  M. 
LIEB,  JOHN  WM.,  Jr. 
LINDENTHAL,  G. 
LINDERMAN,  G.  B. 
LOREE,  L.  F. 
LORING,  COMMODORE  C.  H. 

MACDONALD,  CHAS. 
MABEN,  J.  C. 
MAJOR,  A.  J. 
MANNING,  CHAS.  H. 
MARKLE,  JOHN. 
MARTIN,  CHAS.  C. 
MARTIN,  EDW.  P. 
MARTIN,  T.  C. 
MATHER,  SAM'L. 
MATHER,  WM.  G. 
MATTICE,  ASA  M. 
MAW,  W.  H. 
MAY,  DE  COURCEY. 
MAYNARD,  GEO.  W. 
MEIER,  EDWARD  D. 
MEIER,  MAX. 
MEIGS,  LIEUT.  JOHN  F. 
MELVILLE,  GEO.  W. 
MERRIMAN,  MANSFIELD. 
MILLER,  FRED.  J. 
MILLER,  SPENCER. 
MILLS,  COL.  A.  G. 
MILSON,  THOS.  H. 
MITCHELL,  ALEX.  C. 
MOEN,  PHILIP. 
MOLDENKE,  RICHARD. 
MONROE,  JOSIAH. 
MOORE,  ROBERT. 
MORGAN,  CHAS.  H. 
MORGAN,  T.  R. 
MORISON,  GEO.  S. 


MORRIS,  HENRY  G. 
MORRIS,  JOHN  T. 
MORRIS,  WM.  H. 
MORRISON,  THOMAS. 
MORSE,  H.  G. 
MOXHAM,  A.  J. 
MYERS,  W.  B. 
McCLURE,  SAM'L. 
McCREARY,  GEO.  D. 
McCREATH,  A.  S. 
McFARLAND,  WALTER. 
McGRAW,  JAS.  H. 
McILVAIN,  E.  M. 
McKEE,  J.  J. 
McLANAHAN,  J.  KING. 
McMULLEN,  ARTHUR. 
McMURTRY,  G.  G. 
McNULTY,  GEO.  W. 

NASON,  C.  W. 
NEILSON,  WM.  G. 
NICHOLS,  O.  F. 
NOBLE,  ALFRED. 
NORTH,  EDWARD  P. 
NORRIS,  FRANK  P. 

OCKERSON,  JOHN  A. 
OLCOTT,  EBEN  E. 
OLIVER,  H.  W. 
O'ROURKE,  JOHN  F. 

PAINE,  CHAS. 
PALMER,  GEORGE  Q. 
PALMER,  N.  F. 
PALMER,  S.  S. 
PARDEE,  CALVIN. 
PARKER,  E.  W. 
PARKER,  RICHARD  A. 
PARKIN,  CHAS. 
PARSONS,  H.  DEB. 
PECKITT,  LEONARD. 
PEIRCE,  GEORGE. 
PERIN,  CHAS.  P. 
PERRY,  JAMES  H. 


LIST  OF  SUBSCRIBERS 


323 


PETERSON,  PETER  A. 
PETTIGREW,  CHAS. 
PILLING,  WM.  S. 
PORTER,  CHAS.  T. 
PORTER,  H.  F. 
POTTER,  ED.  C. 
PRIDE,  H.  C. 
PROSSER,  H.  A. 
PROUT,  H.  G. 

RAHT,  CHARLES. 
RAMSEY,  JAMES,  Jr. 
RAND,  CHAS.  F. 
RAYMOND,  DR.  R.  W. 
RAYMOND,  WM.  G. 
REA,  SAMUEL. 
REA,  WM.  H. 
REEVES,  DAVID. 
REEVES,  WM. 
REID,  JOHN. 
RESIMONT,  ARM  AND. 
REYNOLDS,  EDWIN. 
RICE,  CALVIN  W. 
RICHARDS,  FRANK. 
RICHARDS,  E.  WINDSOR. 
RIGHTER,  THOMAS  M. 
RIPLEY,  SIDNEY  D. 
ROBERTS,  FRANK  C. 
ROBERTS,  PERCIVAL,  Jr. 
ROBINSON,  C.  S. 
ROBINSON,  T.  W. 
ROBY,  L.  A. 
RODD,  THOMAS. 
RODMAN,  SAMUEL. 
ROEBLING,  CHAS.  G. 
ROEBLING,  F.  W. 
ROEPPER,  CHAS.  W. 
ROHRER,  A.  L. 
ROWLAND,  THOS.  FITCH. 
ROWLAND,  WM. 
RUSSEL,  WALTER  S. 

SAHLIN,  AXEL. 
SANDBERG,  C.  P. 
SAUNDERS,  WM.  L. 


SAUVEUR,  A. 
SAYRE,  ROBT.  H. 
SCHEFFLER,  F.  A. 
SCHILLER,  WM.  B. 
SCHIRMER,  FRANK  A. 
SCHNEIDER,  CHAS.  C. 
SCHROEDTER,  EMIL. 
SCHROPP,  ABRAHAM  S. 
SCHWAB,  CHAS.  M. 
SCOTT,  IRVING  M. 
SCRANTON,  WALTER. 
SCRANTON,  WM.  W. 
SEAMAN,  H.  J. 
SEAVER,  JOHN  W. 
SEE,  ALONZO  B. 
SELLERS,  COLEMAN. 
SELLERS,  JOHN,  Jr. 
SELLERS,  WILLIAM. 
SEVER,  GEO.  F. 
SHERRERD,  JOHN  M. 
SHIMER,  PORTER  W. 
SHOOK,  A.  M. 
SIMPSON,  C.  D. 
SINCLAIR,  ANGUS. 
SINGER,  CHAS.  A. 
SMINK,  FRANK  C. 
SMITH,  JESSE  M. 
SMITH,  J.  WALDO. 
SMITH,  J.  WM. 
SMITH,  OBERLIN. 
SMITH,  SIDNEY  L. 
SMITH,  T.  G. 
SNELUS,  GEO.  J. 
SNOW,  COL.  W.  W. 
SPILSBURY,  EDMUND 
SPRAGUE,  FRANK  J. 
STACKHOUSE,  POWELL. 
STAFFORD,  C.  ED. 
STANDISH,  MILES. 
STANTON,  JOHN. 
STANTON,  JOHN  R. 
STANTON,  W.  A. 
STAUFFER,  DAVID  M. 
STEARNS,  IRVING  A. 


324 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 


STEVENSON,  A.  A. 
STEVENSON,  J.  P. 
STEVENSON,  JOHN,  Jr. 
STILLWELL,  L.  B. 
STOUT,  F.  C. 
STROMAN,  G.  W. 
STRONG,  GEO.  S. 
STUBBLEBINE,  WM. 
SUPLEE,  HENRY  H. 
SWAIN,  GEO.  F. 
SWANK,  JAS.  M. 
SWASEY,  AMBROSE. 
SWEET,  JOHN  E. 
SWEET,  WM.  A. 

TALBOT,  BENJ. 
TARR,  H.  G.  H. 
TAYLOR,  KNOX. 
TAYLOR,  L.  H.,  Jr. 
TAYLOR,  STEVENSON. 
TAYLOR,  W.  J. 
TESLA,  NIKOLA. 
THOMAS,  EDWIN. 
THOMAS,  SAMUEL. 
THOMSON,  ELIHU. 
THOMSON,  JOHN. 
THURSTON,  ROBT.  H. 
TOMPKINS,  D.  A. 
TOWNE,  HENRY  R. 
TOWNSEND,  DAVID. 
TOWNSEND,  J.  W. 
TREXLER,  H.  C. 
TROTZ,  J.  O.  E. 
TRUMP,  EDWARD  N. 
TUCKER,  W.  R. 

UEHLING,  EDWARD  A. 
UNDERWOOD,  F.  D. 

VAUCLAIN,  S.  M. 
VORHEES,  THEODORE. 

WAITT,  A.  M. 
WALES,  C.  M. 


WALKER,  W.  R. 
WALLACE,  JOHN  F. 
WALLACE,  H.  T. 
WARD,  WM.  L. 
WARNER,  W.  R. 
WARREN,  B.  H. 
WEBSTER,  GEO.  S. 
WEBSTER,  WM.  R. 
WEED,  GEORGE  E. 
WEHRUM,  HENRY. 
WELLMAN,  CHAS.  H. 
WELLMAN,  SAMUEL  T. 
WESTINGHOUSE,  HERMAN  H. 
WESTINGHOUSE,  GEO.,  Jr. 
WESTON,  FRANCIS  E. 
WETHERILL,  JOHN  P. 
WETZLER,  JOSEPH. 
WHARTON,  JOSEPH. 
WHEELER,  S.  S. 
WHITE,  MAUNSEL. 
WHITING,  S.  B. 
WILBUR,  E.  P. 
WILBUR,  COL.  R.  H. 
WILBUR,  WARREN  A. 
WILEY,  CHARLES. 
WILEY,  MAJOR  WM.  H. 
WILGUS,  WM.  J. 
WILLIAMS,  DAVID. 
WILLIAMS,  GARDNER  S. 
WILLIAMS,  OLIVER. 
WILSON,  JOSEPH  M. 
WITHERBEE,  FRANK  S. 
WITTENGENSTEIN,  KARL. 
WOOD,  F.  W. 
WOOD,  HOWARD. 
WOOD,  WALTER. 
WOLLE,  HARTLEY  C. 
WORTHINGTON,  C.  C. 
WYMAN,  H.  WINFIELD. 

ZALINSKI,  E.  L. 
ZEHNDER,  C.  H. 
ZICK,  WM.  G. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ  325 


THE  FOLLOWING  ARE  THE  AWARDS  OF  THE 
JOHN  FRITZ  MEDAL: 

No.  Date  To 

1.  1902 John  Fritz 

2.  1905 Lord  Kelvin 

3.  1906 George  Westinghouse 

4.  1907 Alexander  Graham  Bell 

5.  1908 Thomas  Alva  Edison 

6.  1909 Charles  T.  Porter 

7.  1910 Alfred  Noble 

8.  1911  (to  be  awarded  Sir  Wm.  H.  White  in  November) 


326  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  FRITZ 


TESTIMONIAL  DINNER  TO  JOHN  FRITZ  BY  THE  MANU- 
FACTURERS' CLUB  OF  PHILADELPHIA. 

On  November  17,  1910  the  Manufacturers'  Club  of 
Philadelphia  tendered  John  Fritz  a  reception  and  dinner 
at  the  rooms  of  the  Club,  the  participants  numbering 
about  175.  Col.  W.  F.  Donovan  acted  as  toastmaster. 
Addresses  were  made  by  Nathan  B.  Folwell,  President  of 
the  Club,  John  Birkinbine,  John  Fritz,  James  M.  Swank, 
Charles  M.  Schwab,  the  Rev.  Russell  H.  Conwell,  Joseph  E. 
Thropp,  the  Hon  Hampton  L.  Carson,  and  Robert  W. 
Hunt. 

In  connection  with  the  exercises  of  the  evening  the 
Elliott  Cresson  gold  medal  was  awarded  Mr.  Fritz  by  the 
Franklin  Institute  of  Philadelphia  "  for  distinguished  lead- 
ing and  directive  work,  in  the  advancement  of  the  iron 
and  steel  industries/'  and  Dr.  Russell  H.  Conwell,  Presi- 
dent of  Temple  University,  Philadelphia,  announced  that 
the  Trustees  of  Temple  University  conferred  on  Mr.  Fritz 
the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Science. 


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